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HISTORIC  GLEANINGS  IN  WINDHAM  COUNTY 
CONNECTICUT 


W 


\ 


HISTORIC  GLEANINGS 


IN 


WINDHAM  COUNTY,  CONNECTICUT 


BY 


ELLEN     D.    EARNED 

\ 

AUTHOR    OF 

'"HISTORY   OF  WINDHAM   COUNTY.'' 


PROVIDENCE,    R.   I. 

PRESTON  AND   ROUNDS   COMPANY 

1899 


Copyright,  1899 

BY 

ELLEN    D.    LARNED 


PRESS   OF   E.  L.  FREE3IAN   A   SONS 
PROVIDENCE,  R.  I. 


CONTENTS 


ZT  I 

Spent  Lights 

II 

Windham  County  Women  of  Eably  Time 


?\ 

III 

K) 

Other  Lights 

1 

IV 

Eevolutionary  Echoes 

1  'i 

Y 

^ 

Windham  County  and  Providence 

""^i 

YI 

i 

A  Life's  Eecord 

YII 

-^^ 

Dodge,  The  Babbler 

,^ 

YIII 

Our  First  Woman  Artist 

'--^— -^ 

IX 

^  \ 

.Tapheth  in  Search  of  His  Forefathers 

:^ 

^ 

Index 

M 

•^r 

HISTORIC  GLEANINGS  IN  WINDHAM  COUNTY. 


I. 

SPENT  LIGHTS.^ 

There  is  nothing  more  surprising  to  the  student  of 
history  than  the  apparent  capricionsness  of  the  chance 
by  which  human  beings  are  remembered  or  forgot- 
ten. "  Survival  of  the  fittest "  has  been  promulgated 
as  the  great  law  of  the  universe.  Of  the  innumera- 
ble multitude  gone  in  countless  ages  "to  the  pale 
realms  of  shade,"  only  a  few  bright  and  shining  lights 
have  escaped  oblivion.  Only  those  of  great  ability 
or  achievement,  or  associated  by  character  or  circum- 
stance with  great  and  vital  events,  have  w^on  remem- 
brance. But  when  we  apply  this  principle  to  recent 
periods,  and  especially  to  our  own  field  of  observa- 
tion, we  are  stumbled.  We  take,  for  instance,  one  of 
our  Connecticut  towns,  study  its  civil  and  church 
records,  exhume  its  lists  of  public  functionaries  in 
every  department,  extract  from  living  sources  every 
available  item,  and  flatter  ourselves  that  we   have 

*  Read  before  Connecticut  Historical  Society. 


2  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

gained  exhaustive  knowledge  of  every  past  resident 
connected  with  its  develoi^ment,  and  then  stumble  by 
chance  upon  some  note-worthy  personage  who  had 
somehow  slipped  out  of  present  remembrance. 

"  Why  have  you  robbed  me  of  a  grandfather?  "  que- 
ries an  aggrieved  descendant.  After  all  our  care  we 
are  called  to  account  for  other  vital  omissions.  Is 
this  "  survival  of  the  fittest "  an  universal  law,  as  ap- 
plied to  those  who  have  w^on  or  failed  to  win  the  boon 
of  permanent  remembrance  ?  Is  it  not  quite  possi- 
ble that  names  are  left  out  and  forgotten  as  w^orthy 
of  remembrance  as  many  that  still  survive  in  text- 
book and  history?  In  a  modern  and  carefully  pre- 
pared "  Cyclopa3dia  of  American  Biography  "  we  find 
many  names  once  honored  are  missing.  Froude  has 
given  us  interesting  pictures  of  "  Forgotten  Worth- 
ies "  in  the  mother  country.  May  we  not  with  equal 
profit  recall  to  memory  some  Connecticut  worthies 
once  prominent  but  overlooked  and  in  part  forgotten. 

James  Fitch,  Junior,  of  Norwich  and  Canterbury, 
may  be  called  in  a  certain  sense  the  Father  of  Wind- 
ham County,  owning  for  a  time  the  greater  part  of  the 
territory,  selling  the  land  and  assisting  in  the  organi- 
zation of  several  townships.  The  oldest  son  of  the 
first,  most  honored  minister  of  Norwich,  son-in-law 
of  the  worshipful  Major  John  Mason,  with  much  na- 
tive shrewdness  and  force  of  character,  no  young 
man  in  the  colonies  had  a  better  start  or  more  hope- 


SPENT    LIGHTS.  3 

fill  prospects.  Very  early  in  life  lie  engaged  in  public 
affairs,  especially  in  relation  to  tliat  very  vital  matter 
in  a  new  country — land  surveys  and  transfers.  In 
military  and  political  lines  he  was  equally  prominent, 
attaining  in  a  few  years  tlie  rank  of  major  and  office 
of  county  treasurer.  Soon  it  appeared  that  he  had 
even  exceeded  his  honored  father  and  father-in-law 
in  influence  over  the  Mohegan  Indians,  and  had 
gained  control  of  a  large  part  of  their  territory.  The 
drunken  and  flexible  Owaneco — son  of  Uncas — in 
1680  made  over  to  his  loving  friend,  James  Fitch, 
Juu.,  "  the  right  and  title  to  all  his  lands  to  dispose 
of  as  he  shall  see  cause,"  while  the  General  Court  of 
Connecticut  constituted  him  the  legal  guardian  of 
this  Mohegan  chieftain.  The  whole  Wabbaquasset 
country,  a  tract  extending  forty-five  miles  west  of  the 
Quinebaug  river  and  north  as  far  as  Massachusetts 
would  allow,  was  thus  placed  within  his  disposal  and 
practical  ownershi^D.  But  just  as  Major  Fitch  Aras 
preparing  to  lay  out  this  princely  domain,  negotia- 
ting for  the  sale  of  the  future  Pomfret  and  Brooklyn, 
he  was  compelled  by  the  process  of  events,  and  the 
administration  of  Sir  Edmund  Aiidros,  to  observe  a 
season  of  "  innocuous  desuetude."  Fitch  was  far  too 
shrewd  a  man  to  waste  time  and  money  in  attempt- 
ing to  secure  confirmation  of  his  land  from  that  des- 
potic ruler,  in  whose  eyes  an  Indian  deed  was  "  worth 
no  more  than  the  scratch  of  a  bear's  paw,"  but  quietly 


4  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

bided  his  time  till  that  welcome  Revolution  which 
overthrew  the  power  of  James  II  and  his  detested 
g-overnor-general.  He  immediately  bestirred  him- 
self in  the  re-instatement  of  colonial  government, 
"travelling"  it  was  said,  "from  Dan  to  Beersheba,  to 
incite  the  freemen,  and  summon  a  General  Court." 
"  By  whom  was  the  Charter  of  the  Government  re- 
stored," sneeringly  asks  an  enemy  of  Connecticut, 
"  but  by  James  Fitch,  Nathaniel  Stanley,  and  such 
like  prioate  men  ?  "  A  private  man  instrumental  in 
such  a  public  service  is  surely  worthy  of  grateful  re- 
membrance. 

After  the  first  genei-al  election  Fitch  appears  as 
member  of  the  council,  and  thenceforth  figures  as  the 
most  prominent  and  picturesque  personage  in  east- 
ern Connecticut — a  magistrate  and  military  leader, 
as  well  as  proprietor  of  a  vast  tract  of  country.  Sell- 
ing out  townships  as  if  they  were  farms,  surveying 
disputed  lands  and  bounds,  holding  courts  of  inquiry, 
deciding  vexed  questions,  he  makes  what  seems  like 
royal  progresses  through  his  domains,  with  his  ac- 
companying retinue  of  Indians,  soldiers,  and  land-job- 
bers. The  jealous  eye  of  a  contemporary,  who  could 
not  "  see  cause  to  acknowledge  Capt.  James  Fitch  to 
be  Lord  Proprietor  of  this  Colony,"  enables  us  to  see 
what  power  and  authority  he  was  exercising  at  this 
early  stage  of  his  career.  A  "  Remonstrance,"  laid 
before  the  General  Court  by  many  of  his  majesty's 


SPENT    LIGHTS. 


loyal  and  dutiful  subjects,  sets  forth—"  That  Captain 
Fitch  has  laid  claim  to  our  established  inheritance 
by  pretences  of  grants  from  Owaneco      .      .     •     has 
procured  the  Wabbaquasset,  Mohegan,   Quinebaug 
and  a  great  part  of  the  Pequod  country  from  Owan- 
eco and  hath  already  sold  out  vast  tracts  of  our  land 
to  some  now  in  England,  Rhode  Island,  and  some  to 
privateers  as  we  have  been  informed.      .      .      .      Let 
any  man  give  an  example  of  any  of  the  King's  sub- 
jects in  Europe  or  America  since  the  times  of  WilHam 
the  Conqueror  till  to-day  that  ever  engrost  so  much 
land  as  Captain  Fitch  hath  done  in  this  Colony  which 
was  before  given  and  confirmed  to  other  men  under 
the  great  seal  of  England,  and  we  cannot  but  declare 
and  protest  against  these  sales  as  illegal.     We  can- 
not but  declare  against  Captain  Fitch  his  being  such 
a  great  land-pirate  and  selling  so  much  of  our  land 
to  strangers  and  hope  the  General  Court  and  our 
people  will  consider  how  pernicious  a  man  Mr.  Fitch 
is  to  the  rising  generation,  and  what  a  scandal  it  is 
to  this  government  and  how  gravaminous  to  many  of 
the  Queen's  subjects  that  a  person  who  makes  it  his 
business  to  sell  the  freemen's  lands  shall  any  longer 
continue  in  office  in  this  Colony." 

But  however  strong  opposition  and  remonstrance, 
it  had  no  effect  upon  the  position  of  our  monopolist 
during  the  wars  known  as  King  William's  and  Queen 
Anne's.     His  influence  over  the  Indians  made  him  a 


6  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

tower  of  strength  tliroughoiit  those  stormy  years — 
Massachusetts  was  forced  to  call  upon  him  to  defend 
her  frontier,  where  the  Wabbaquassets  would  not  be 
ordered  but  by  virtue  of  authority  from  Connecticut. 
His  new  plantation  at  Peags-com-suck — now  Canter- 
bury— was  made  the  rendezvous  of  many  a  military 
expedition — the  scene  of  many  a  martial  and  legal 
c  onflict. 

As  Indian  wars  ceased  Major  Fitch  was  called  to 
battle  for  his  land  titles.  His  first  fight  was  with 
the  heirs  of  Gov.  John  Winthrop,  who  claimed  the 
Quinebaug  country — now  included  in  Plainfield  and 
Canterbury — by  an  earlier  Indian  grant  than  that  of 
Owaneco  to  Major  Fitch.  The  General  Court,  loath 
to  excite  the  ire  of  such  spirited  and  powerful  combat- 
ants, delayed  decision.  Both  claimants  proceeded  to 
sell  out  farms  and  encourage  settlement.  A  guerrilla 
warfare  ensued  between  the  Winthrop  and  Fitch 
settlers.  Bounds  and  fences  were  removed ;  crops 
raised  bj^  one  faction  seized  and  carried  off  by  the 
other;  future  respected  citizens  clinched  and  threw 
hatchets.  Gay  youngs^ters  from  Norwich,  known  in 
later  years  as  sober  magistrates  and  councilors,  make 
raids  upon  the  Indian  corn-fields ;  scout  the  Major's 
writs,  and  run  away  from  the  arresting  constables. 
Our  friend,  the  Major,  figures  conspicuously  in  all 
this  wrangling;  now  sitting  in  judgment,  and  then 
arraigned  as  offender.     Great  meetings  of  Courts  and 


SPENT    LIGHTS.  7 

Commissioners  were  held  at  Peags-com-suck — meet- 
ings that  brought  iu  picturesque  conjunction  re- 
presentatives of  old  and  new  Connecticut,  high  of- 
ficial dignitaries,  governors,  ministers,  magistrates, 
lawyers ;  Owaneco  in  royal  state,  with  surviving 
Pequots,  Nipmucks,  and  Narragansetts.  After  much 
sifting  of  conflicting  testimony,  the  right  of  owner- 
ship was  confirmed  to  Major  Fitch,  with  reservations 
allowed  to  the  Winthrops  and  other  claimants. 

During  the  administration  of  Gov.  Fitz  John  Win- 
throp  Major  Fitch  served  at  the  head  of  the  Council, 
and  was  entrusted  with  the  revision  of  the  colonial 
laws  and  other  important  public  services.  He  Avas  a 
friend  of  education — the  first  layman  in  Connecticut 
to  offer  material  aid  to  her  infant  college ;  a  friend 
of  religion,  helping  to  build  meeting-honses  and 
sustain  ministers  in  his  several  townshijjs,  even  when 
laboring  under  church  censure  and  suspension  for 
excess  in  conviviality.  Above  all  else  he  was  a  friend 
of  the  people  ;  an  advocate  of  iDopular  rights,  con- 
tending as  strenuously  for  the  privileges  of  the 
Lower  House  in  the  General  Assembly  as  previously 
against  the  domination  of  Andros.  Unwilling,  how- 
ever, "that  any  private  xorejudice  should  hinder 
public  good,"  he  did  not  hesitate  to  use  his  great 
political  and  personal  influence  to  keep  Saltonstall 
in  power,  though  afterwards  tauntingly  reminding 
him — "That  had  I  let  you  out  of  my  hands  know 


8  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

assuredly  yourself  and  Mr.  Christopher  had  been 
next  year  at  liberty." 

The  closing-  years  of  Major  Fitch  were  embittered 
by  dissensions  and  pecuniary  embarrassment.  His 
large  landed  possessions  involved  him  in  serious 
complications.  The  great  "Mohegan  Land-case" 
entailed  endless  expense  and  trouble.  The  Govern- 
ment of  Connecticut  challenged  his  claim  to  certain 
townships,  and,  when  he  proceeded  to  make  sales  of 
land  and  lay  out  allotments,  Gov.  Saltonstall  issued 
a  public  proclamation  forbidding  plantation  work 
therein.  Suffering  from  gout  and  harassed  by  busi- 
ness perplexities,  our  Major  was  thrown  into  such  a 
tempest  of  rage  as  to  lose  all  sense  of  propriety  and 
respect  for  Government,  and,  as  if  he  were  indeed 
"Lord  Proprietor  of  the  Colony,"  he  immediately 
put  forth  a  counter  proclamation  from  "  The  Honored 
James  Fitch,  proprietor  of  a  certain  tract  of  land, 
east  of  Eniield,"  asserting  his  right  to  the  land  and 
his  sovereign  contempt  for  "  a  kind  of  proclamation 
lately  come  forth,"  and  the  authority  that  issued  it. 

This  audacious  proceeding  called  out  an  immediate 
summons  to  appear  before  the  Governor  and  Council 
to  answer  "  for  its  false  and  seditious  expressions  ; " 
but  the  culprit,  lame  with  the  gout,  and  unable  to 
ride,  refused  to  obey  in  terms  scarcely  less  insolent 
than  the  original  document.  The  matter  rested  un- 
til the  succeeding  session  of  the  General  Court,  May, 


.    SPENT   LIGHTS.  9 

1717,  when  it  was  ordered  that  a  warrant  be  sent  "  to 
arrest  the  said  Fitch  and  have  him  before  the  As- 
sembly." But  before  its  execution  the  impulsive 
Major,  probably  relieved  from  g'out,  and  returning 
to  his  better  judgment,  sent  a  most  humble  con- 
fession of  his  fault,  "being  heartily  sorry  and  con- 
demning himself  therefor,"  and  asking  forgiveness  of 
His  Honor  and  the  Honorable  Assembly.  Indeed, 
Major  Fitch  seems  to  have  been  thoroughly  frightened, 
not  knowing  but  that  banishment  or  imi:)risonment 
awaited  him.  The  Upper  House  upon  consideration- 
proposed  to  let  him  off  by  a  =£20  fine — "a  slight 
punishment  for  so  high  a  misdemeanor,"  but  the 
Lower  House,  faithful  to  its  champion,  insisted  "  that 
the  full  and  ingenuous  acknowledgement  was  suf- 
ficient," and  obtained  an  unconditional  discharge. 

With  this  exciting  episode  the  Major  disappears 
from  public  life,  and  after  a  few  years  was  laid  to 
rest  in  Canterbury  churchj^ard.  A  blackened  stone, 
overgrown  with  briars  and  sumacs,  tells  of  "  his  use- 
fulness in  his  military  and  in  his  magistracy  to  which 
he  was  chosen  and  served  successively  to  ye  great 
acceptation  and  advantage  of  his  country,  being  a 
gentleman  of  good  parts  and  very  forward  to  pro- 
mote ye  civil  and  religious  interests  of  it.  Died  Nov. 
10,  1727,  aged  80  years." 

And  yet  this  gentleman,  so  active,  so  useful,  so 
prominently  connected  with  public  affairs,  so  master- 


10  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

ful  and  picturesque  in  character  and  circumstances, 
has  passed  almost  out  of  memory,  his  name  omitted 
from  our  standard  Biographical  Cyclopaedia,  his  ser- 
vices in  great  measure  forgotten  even  in  the  section 
Avhich  he  once  owned  and  dominated. 

As  Major  Fitch  jDassed  off  the  stage  a  young  neigh- 
bor of  his  came  into  view,  destined  to  even  wider 
prominence  in  public  matters  of  a  very  different  na- 
ture. The  questions  that  vexed  the  soul  of  our  bel- 
ligerent major  were  to  a  good  degree  settled,  or  out- 
grown. Indian  wars  had  practically  ceased,  Indian 
land  titles  had  been  made  over  to  Government,  the 
Indians  themselves  Avere  fast  passing  away.  Many 
questions  of  public  polity  had  been  settled.  Some 
supposed  to  be  settled  were  to  rise  again  Avith  inten- 
sified strife  and  bitterness.  When  Major  Fitch  as 
chairman  of  the  Council  in  1708  expressed  his  "  great 
approbation "  of  the  result  reached  by  the  reverend 
ministers  of  the  colony  in  council  at  Saybrook,  and 
assented  to  that  "  happy  agreement "  by  which  all  the 
churches  of  Connecticut  were  to  be  "  united  in  doc- 
trine, worship  and  discipline,"  and  all  troublesome  re- 
ligious questionings  silenced  forever, he  little  dreamed 
that  that  young  neighbor  of  his  would  strike  such  tell- 
ing blows  against  that  "  happy  agreement "  and 
church  establishment. 

Ehsha  Paine,  Junior,  like  James  Fitch,  was  early 
called  into  prominence.     Sprung  from  a  leading  fam- 


SPENT   LIGHTS.  11 

ily,  with  superior  advantages  of  education,  he  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  law  in  his  native  town  and  was 
universally  recognized  as  "  having  the  best  sense  of 
anyone  in  those  parts."  But  while  in  the  prime  of 
life,  with  every  prospect  of  high  eminence  in  his  pro- 
fession and  in  public  affairs,  he  was  caught  in  the 
vortex  of  "the  Great  Revival,"  and  thenceforth  the 
current  of  his  life  was  changed. 

This  remarkable  religious  movement  swept  with 
great  power  through  Windham  County.  The  settlers 
of  these  new  towns  had  shared  in  the  preceding  spir- 
itual apathy.  With  the  many  labors  crowding  upon 
them  in  public  and  private  affairs,  they  had  gone  for- 
ward "in  settling  the  worship  of  God;"  had  built 
their  meeting-houses,  provided  home  and  support  for 
their  minister,  assisted  in  church  organization.  Their 
meeting-houses  were  filled  with  hearers ;  their  chil- 
dren duly  presented  in  baptism.  But  the  living  faith, 
the  constant  sense  of  divine  presence  and  guidance 
that  had  so  characterized  their  Puritan  ancestors, 
was  largely  in  abeyance.  Undei;  what  was  known  as 
"  The  Halfway  Covenant,"  men  without  religious  ex- 
perience were  in  a  certain  sense  connected  with  the 
churches  and  lowered  the  standard  of  piety.  But  a 
reflex  tide  Avas  setting  in.  Spiritual  men  like  Jona- 
than Edwards  were  considering  the  situation.  Re- 
vival movements  were  reported  from  the  Connecticut 
Valley,  and  then  tidings  of  the  wonderful  effects  of 


12  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

Whitfield's  progress  and  preaching-  roused  universal 
expectation  and  questioning.  This  general  sentiment 
is  best  seen  in  the  narrative  lately  brought  to  light 
of  Nathan  Cole,  a  plain  farmer  of  Kensington  Parish 
in  the  vicinity  of  Middletown.     He  writes  : 

"  Now  it  pleased  God  to  send  Mr.  Whitfield  into 
this  land  &  my  hearing  of  his  preaching  at  Philadel- 
phia like  one  of  the  old  aposels  &  many  thousands 
flocking  after  him  to  hear  ye  Gospel  and  great  num- 
bers were  converted  to  Christ,  I  felt  the  spirit  of  God 
drawing  me  by  conviction.  I  longed  to  see  &  hear 
him  &  wished  he  would  come  this  way  &  I  soon  heard 
he  was  come  to  New  York  and  the  Jarsies  <fc  great 
multitudes  flocking  after  him  under  great  concern  for 
their  souls  and  many  converted  which  brought  on  my 
concern  more  &  more,  hoping  soon  to  see  him  but 
next  I  heard  he  was  on  Long  Island  ct  next  at  Bos- 
ton &  next  at  Northampton,  and  then  one  morning 
all  on  a  sudden  about  8  or  9  o'clock,  there  came  a 
messenger  &  said  Mr.  Whitfield  preached  at  Hartford 
&  Wethersfield  yesterday  ct  is  to  preach  at « Middle- 
town  this  morning  at  10  o'clock.  I  was  in  my  field 
at  work.  I  dropt  my  tool  that  I  had  in  my  hand  & 
run  home  &  run  through  my  house  &  had  my  wife 
get  ready  quick  to  go  &  hear  Mr.  AVhitfield  preach 
at  Middletow^n  &  ran  to  my  pasture  for  my  horse 
with  all  my  might  fearing  I  should  be  too  late 
to   hear  him.      I   brought  my  horse  home  &  soon 


SPENT    LIGHTS.  13 

mounted  <fc  took  my  wife  up  &  went  forward  as 
fast  as  I  thought  ye  horse  could  bear  &  when 
my  horse  began  to  be  out  of  breath  I  would 
get  down  &  put  my  wife  on  the  saddle  &  bid  her 
ride  as  fast  as  she  could  &  not  stop  or  slak  for 
me  except  I  bad  her  &  so  I  would  run  until  I  was  al- 
most out  of  breath  &  then  mount  my  horse  again  & 
so  I  did  several  times  to  favor  my  horse.  We  im- 
l^roved  every  moment  to  get  along  as  if  we  were  flee- 
ing for  our  lives,  all  this  while  fearing  we  should  be 
too  late  to  hear  ye  sermon  for  we  had  twelve  miles  to 
ride  dubble  in  littel  more  than  an  hour  &  we  went 
round  by  the  upper  housen  parish  &  when  we  came 
within  half  a  mile  of  ye  road  that  comes  down  from 
Hartford,  Wethersiield  &  Stepney  to  Middletown  on 
high  land  I  saw  before  me  a  cloud  or  fog  rising,  I 
first  thought  off  from  ye  Great  Kiver  but  as  I  came 
nearer  the  road  I  heard  a  noise  something  like  a  low 
rumbling  thunder  &  I  presently  found  it  was  the 
rumbling  of  horses  feet  coming  down  the  road,  and 
this  cloud  was  a  cloud  of  dust  made  by  ye  running 
of  horses  feet,  it  arose  some  rods  into  the  air  over 
the  tops  of  the  hills  and  trees  &  when  I  came  within 
about  twenty  rods  of  the  road  I  could  see  men  <fe 
horses  slipping  along  in  the  cloud  like  shadows  and 
when  I  came  nearer  it  was  like  a  stidy  stream  of 
horses,  &  their  riders,  scarcely  a  horse  more  than  his 
length  behind  another,  all  of  a  lather  and  foam  with 


14  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

sweat,  their  breath  rolling  out  of  their  nostrils,  in  a 
cloud  of  dust  every  jump,  every  horse  seemed  to  go 
with  all  his  might  to  carry  his  rider  to  hear  the  news 
from  Heaven  to  ye  saving  of  their  souls.  It  made 
me  tremble  to  see  the  sight  how  ye  world  was  in  a 
struggle.  I  found  a  vacauce  between  two  horses  to 
slip  in  my  horse  c^^  my  wife  said,  '  Law,  our  clothes 
will  be  all  spoiled,  see  how  they  look ' — for  they  was 
so  covered  with  dust  they  looked  almost  all  of  a  color, 
coats  &  hats  &  shirts  &  horses.  We  went  down  in 
the  stream.  I  heard  no  man  speak  a  Avord  all  the 
way,  three  miles,  but  every  one  pressing  forward  in 
great  haste  &  when  we  got  down  to  the  old  meetiog- 
liouse  there  was  a  great  multitude,  it  was  said  to  be 
8  or  4000  of  people  assembled  together.  We  got  off 
from  our  horses  tfe  shook  off'  ye  dust  &  the  ministers 
was  then  coming  to  ye  meeting-house.  I  turned  & 
looked  toward  the  Great  Kiver  &  saw  the  ferry  boats 
running  swift  forward  and  backward  bringing  over 
loads  of  people,  ye  ores  rowed  nimble  <t  quick ; 
everything,  men,  horses  and  boats  seemed  to  be 
struggling  for  life  :  ye  land  &  ye  banks  over  ye  river 
lookt  black  with  people  and  horses.  All  along  the 
twelve  miles  I  see  no  man  at  work  in  his  field  but  all 
seemed  to  be  gone.  When  I  see  Mr.  Whitfield  come 
up  upon  the  Scaffil  he  looked  almost  angelical,  a 
young  slim  slender  youth  before  some  thousands  of 
people  &  Avith  a  bold  undaunted  countenance.  And 
my  hearing  how  God  was  Avith  him  everyAvhere  as  he 


SPENT    LIGHTS.  15 

came  along  it  solumnized  my  mind  &:  put  me  in  a 
trembling*  fear  before  he  began  to  preach  for  he 
looked  as  if  he  was  clothed  with  authority  from  the 
great  God  c^^  a  sweet  sollome  Solemnity  sat  upon  his 
brow,  and  my  hearing  him  preach  gave  me  a  heart 
wound  by  God's  blessing,  my  old  foundation  was 
broken  up  and  I  saw  that  my  righteousness  would 
not  serve  me."  ''' 

Such  Avas  the  beginning  of  the  "Great  Awaken- 
ing." The  chronicles  of  those  days  read  like  a  sup- 
plementary chapter  of  the  Book  of  Acts.  Men  with 
flaming  hearts  and  tongues  went  everywhere  preach- 
ing the  word,  and  what  seemed  like  the  veritable  out- 
pouring of  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  upon  their  hearers. 
The  revival  impulse  was  felt  in  all  the  churches. 
"This  religious  concern  did  in  many  parishes  run 
swiftly  through  most  of  the  families,  and  there  was 
scarce  a  sermon  preached  but  was  blessed  to  promote 
the  work." 

Among  the  first  in  Windham  county  to  be  brought 
into  the  spirit  of  the  revival  was  our  Canterbury 
lawyer,  Elisha  Paine.  Of  a  speculative  turn  of  mind 
and  remarkably  candid  and  catholic  spirit,  Elisha 
Paine  had  always  manifested  great  interest  in  re- 
ligious questions  and  doctrines,  "inquiring  into  all 
the  different  worships  of  New^  England  with  their 
principles  and  behaviour,"  and  had  sometimes  feared 

*  This  visit  occurred  Oct.  23,  1740.    Some  clianges  in  spelling  have  been 
made  in  copying  from  the  original  manuscript. 


16  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

"that  the  true  religion  was  not  in  the  land."  But 
the  living  words  of  the  great  preacher  wrought 
powerfully  upon  his  own  heart,  and  he  was  led  to 
feel  that  however  he  might  judge  the  religion  of 
others  his  own  "was  of  no  value."  Yielding  himself 
to  this  new  influence  he  received  a  new  spiritual 
baptism,  and  religion  became  to  him  the  one  thing 
of  importance  in  the  land.  His  brother  Solomon, 
his  sister,  Mrs.  Josiah  Cleveland,  and  her  family,  and 
other  leading  families  in  Canterbury,  were  also  par- 
takers in  the  revival  influence. 

This  town  of  Canterburj^  was  at  this  time  peculiarly 
situated.  It  had  been  for  sometime  without  a  settled 
pastor,  and  the  brethren  of  the  church  had  exercised 
an  unusual  degree  of  liberty  in  administering  its 
affairs.  Owing  in  some  degree  to  the  influence  of 
Major  Fitch  and  his  carelessness  in  admitting  in- 
habitants— some  even  from  Rhode  Island  as  we  re- 
member—  it  had  a  strong  radical  element.  The 
"Platform"  adopted  at  Saybrook  for  the  "Permanent 
establishment"  of  church  discipline  in  Connecticut, 
had  given  certain  powers  to  ministers  and  ministerial 
associations  that  had  been  formerly  exercised  by  in- 
dependent churches.  The  Canterbury  church  ob- 
jected to  this  Platform,  but  did  not  formally  manifest 
dissent  until  after  the  revived  interest  in  all  matters 
pertaining  to  religious  worship.  A  committee  was 
then  appointed — to  search  into  the  former  constitu- 


SPENT    LIGHTS.  IT 

tion  of  tlie  church  and  make  return.  Meantime  they 
went  forward  in  their  efforts  to  secure  a  minister, 
and  carried  on  reviA^al  meeting's  in  somewhat  inde- 
pendent fashion.  The  journal  of  John  Cleveland,  a 
Yale  student,  while  passing  his  vacation  at  home, 
gives  pleasant  ghmpses  of  the  situation. 

His  father's  house  is  "a  little  Bethel ;"  his  parents, 
brothers  and  sisters  filled  with  great  joy.  They  go 
from  house  to  house  in  all  parts  of  the  town,  holding 
"very  live  meetings."  "April  7.  A  meeting  in  the 
evening,  many  filled.  9.  A  meeting  at  grandmother 
Paine's.  Christians  useful.  12.  This  night  went  down 
into  town.  Mills  preached.  Had  some  of  us  a  very 
live  meeting.  13.  Talked  with  Uncle  Solomon  about 
religion.  He  related  his  experience.  This  afternoon 
Mills  preached.  His  words  seemed  to  have  a  very 
great  effect  upon  the  audience.  There  Avas  a  great 
stir  indeed.  21.  A  meeting  at  Uncle  Elisha  Paine's. 
My  father  relates  his  experience.  Walk  with  Mr. 
Bradford  among  the  hills  to  pray.  26.  Spent  the 
forenoon  in  the  mill-house  in  prayer  and  reading  the 
Scriptures.  In  the  afternoon  Mills  gave  a  funeral 
discourse  on  Samuel  Adams.  The  children  of  God 
were  very  live  at  the  funeral.  A  spirit  of  exhortation 
was  poured  down  upon  them.  Two  persons  were 
struck  unto  conviction.  27.  Exceeding  full  of  the 
spirit.  People  had  a  brave  meeting.  May  2.  Mr. 
Avery  preached.     Widow  Spalding  came  out  full  of 


18  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

joy.  4.  Mr.  Mosely  of  Canada  Parish  preached. 
Considerable  stir.  Some  distressed  and  some  rejoic- 
ing. This  day  old  Chaffery  was  struck  into  con- 
victions while  Solomon  Paine  was  exhorting  him." 

Great  religions  interest  and  activity  are  indicated 
in  this  report,  with  a  tendency  to  extravagance  and 
enthusiasm  but  no  appearance  of  discord.  It  gives 
a  picture  of  Christian  neighborhoods  warmly  engaged 
in  religious  work,  with  friendly  interchange  of  labor. 
But  in  this  same  joyful  month  of  May,  1742,  legisla- 
tion was  in  progress  that  wholly  changed  the  aspect. 
The  great  religious  movement  had  its  inevitable  ac- 
companiment of  excesses  and  disorders.  As  in  the 
infant  churches  founded  by  the  apostles  there  were 
"swellings,  tumults"  and  irregularities;  as  in  the 
days  of  the  Protestant  Reformation  there  were  out- 
breakings  of  ungovernable  fanaticism,  so  the  "  Great 
Revival "  in  America  had  its  share  of  scandalous  dis- 
orders. 

Our  mortal  senses  are  too  weak  to  bear  the  open 
vision  of  things  unseen.  These  vivid  presentations 
of  the  supernatural  have  a  tendency  to  unsettle  and 
unbalance  our  earthly  minds.  The  sections  visited 
with  greatest  power  by  the  Revival  were  newly 
settled  and  imperfectly  civilized.  Schools  were  few 
and  poor ;  religious  services  formal  and  lifeless.  Was 
it  strange  that  people  growing  up  amid  such  circum- 
stances, with  little  to  occupy  their  minds,  when  sud- 


SPENT    LIGHTS.  19 

denly  brought  into  contact  with  such  eloquence  of 
exhortation  and  spiritual  influence,  should  be  carried 
out  of  themselves  ?  The  spirit  that  seized  many  com- 
munities seemed  more  like  intoxication  than  inspira- 
tion. Groans,  shrieks,  and  other  manifestations 
abounded  in  their  meetings;  visions,  trances,  and 
convulsions  were  common.  The  stated  ministers  of 
the  churches,  who  had  at  first  welcomed  the  revival, 
were  alarmed  by  these  outbreaks.  The  Legislature 
of  Connecticut,  which  had  taken  such  pains  to  secure 
the  orderly  administration  of  church  worship  and 
discipline,  was  even  more  scandalized  by  these 
breaches  of  order  and  decorum.  A  convention  of 
ministers  and  messengers  was  summoned  to  meet  at 
Guilford,  with  the  hope  that  it  might  "  issue  in  the 
accommodation  of  divisions,  settling  peace,  love  and 
charity  and  promoting  the  true  interests  of  religion ; 
for  which  there  seems  to  be  so  general  a  concern 
among  the  people  of  this  land."  The  good  ministers, 
each  with  their  tale  of  excesses  and  disorders,  smart- 
ing under  the  severe  criticisms  of  Whitfield  and  his 
followers,  could  see  but  one  remedy  for  these  evils. 
These  abnormal  experiences,  faintings,  convulsions, 
visions,  uproarious  shrieking  and  groaning,  Avere 
usually  manifested  through  the  agencj^  of  the  itiner- 
ant preacher  ;  those  ignorant  unlicensed  exhorters 
who  had  sprung  up  in  the  wake  of  Mr.  Whitfield. 
The  Legislature  of  Connecticut  in  its  great  wisdom 


20  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

had  devised  a  perfect  system  of  religions  adminis- 
tration. Each  town  was  organized  as  one  or  more 
religious  society  or  societies.  Every  inhabitant  of 
the  town  was  an  organic  member  of  this  society, 
meeting-houses  and  orthodox,  learned  ministers  had 
been  provided,  and  all  that  was  needful  for  peace, 
quiet,  and  the  true  interest  of  religion  Avas  for  every 
man  with  his  family  to  attend  worship  in  the  town 
meeting-house  and  pay  his  share  of  the  rate.  Sup- 
pression of  itinerants  was  the  one  remedy  recom- 
mended. Untaught  by  all  the  lessons  of  church 
history,  the  new  wine  in  its  first  spirited  fermenta- 
tion was  to  be  forced  into  very  old  and  tight  bottles. 
Therefore,  in  May,  1742,  the  Assembly  proceeded 
to  enact — that  whereas  divers  ministers,  some  or- 
dained and  licensed,  and  also  some  who  had  no  eccle- 
siastical authority  or  standing,  had  taken  upon  them 
to  go  into  parishes  under  the  care  of  other  ministers 
and  exhort  the  people  in  matters  of  religion,  which 
practise  had  a  tendency  to  make  divisions  and  con- 
tentions, and  to  destroy  the  ecclesiastic  constitution 
established  by  the  laws  of  this  government — there- 
fore, if  any  ordained  minister  should  preach  in  any 
other  parish  than  his  own  without  the  invitation  of 
the  stated  minister  or  authorities  he  should  be  de- 
prived of  provision  made  for  his  support ;  if  any  per- 
son not  an  ordained  minister  should  presume  to 
preach  or  exhort  without  similar  authority,  for  every 


SPENT   LIGHTS.  21 

such  offence  he  was  to  be  arrested  and  bound  over 
for  trial  in  the  penal  sum  of  =£100;  and  if  any  for- 
eig^ner,  licensed  or  not,  presume  to  preach  in  any 
town  of  Connecticut  without  permission  from  recog- 
nized authority,  he  should  be  sent  out  of  colony 
bounds  as  a  vagrant. 

This  remarkable  expedient  for  promoting  peace, 
love,  and  Christian  unity  was  at  once  put  into  execu- 
tion. The  inevitable  results  followed.  The  revival 
element  was  at  once  arraigned  against  the  Govern- 
ment. Social  religious  meetings  like  those  described 
in  Canterbury  had  now  become  lawless  and  disor- 
derly conventicles,  liable  to  be  interrupted  by  the 
w£<,rrant  of  the  constable.  The  attempted  suppres- 
sion of  free  speech  in  a  time  of  high  religious  ex- 
citement greatly  increased  the  existing  evil.  In  Can- 
terbury, where  so  much  freedom  had  been  exercised, 
these  restrictions  were  peculiarly  irksome.  Up  to 
this  date  there  was  no  appearance  of  the  slightest 
doctrinal  dereliction  or  difference.  All  that  the  Re- 
vivalists required,  apparently,  w^as  the  privilege  of 
hearing  any  ministers  they  fancied  and  pouring  out 
their  own  souls  in  familiar  religious  conference,  and 
in  these  very  points  they  were  debarred  or  greatly 
restricted.  In  a  very  few  months  of  this  new  dispen- 
sation conditions  had  greatly  changed.  The  "  gen- 
tleman of  veracity,"  even  then  fulfilling  his  mission, 
thus  writes  to  the  Boston  Gazette : 


22  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

"  Dec.  16,  1742.  Canterbury  is  in  worse  confusion  than  ever. 
Their  minister  has  left  them,  and  they  grow  more  noisy  and 
boisterous  so  that  they  can  get  no  minister  to  preach  to  them 
yet.  Colonel  Dyer  exerted  his  authority  among  them  on  the 
Lord's  Day,  endeavoring  to  still  them  when  many  were  exhort- 
ing and  making  a  great  hubbub,  and  ordered  the  constable  to  do 
his  oflQce,  but  they  replied,  '  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan  !'  and  the 
noise  and  tumult  increased  to  such  a  degree,  for  above  an  hour, 
that  the  exhorter  could  not  begin  his  exercise.  Lawyer  Paine 
has  set  up  for  a  preacher  .  .  .  and  makes  it  his  business  to 
go  from  house  to  house  and  town  to  town  to  gain  proselytes  to 
this  new  religion.     Consequences  are  much  feared." 

Elislia  Paine  had  indeed  felt  constrained  to  carry 
to  others  the  word  that  had  wrought  so  powerfully 
in  his  own  soul,  and  during  the  summer  had  applied 
to  the  Windham  County  Association  of  ministers  for 
license  to  preach.  The  ministers  who  examined  him 
were  of  opinion  "  that  he  was  qualified,  and  that  it 
was  his  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel."  But  as  condi- 
tion for  receiving  license  he  must  subscribe  to  the 
Saybrook  Platform  as  the  Ecclesiastic  Constitution 
of  Connecticut.  Regularly  ordained  ministers  were 
also  debarred  from  iDreaching,  except  on  conditions 
prescribed  by  this  same  Constitution  and  its  amend- 
ments. Men's  minds  move  quickly  in  such  times  of 
excitement.  Elisha  Paine  had  never  been  in  sym- 
pathy with  Saybrook  Platform,  believing  it  to  exer- 
cise power  not  warranted  by  Scripture.  It  needed 
little  reflection  to  satisfy  him  that  his  specific  call  to 


SPENT    LIGHTS.  28 

preach  from  the  Great  Head  of  the  church  conferred 
a  more  valid  license  than  anything"  that  could  be 
granted  by  an  unscriptural  organization,  and  so  he 
began  preaching  from  house  to  house,  and  on  from 
town  to  town.  Passing  into  Woodstock,  then  held 
by  Massachusetts,  he  held  an  afternoon  religious  ser- 
vice in  the  house  of  John  Morse,  and  as  he  was  peace- 
fully singing  the  twenty-third  Psalm  he  was  arrested 
by  a  constable  and  carried  before  a  justice.  His 
conscience  forbidding  him  to  give  bonds,  he  was 
taken  to  Worcester  and  closely  confined  "  in  the 
dirtiest  prison  that  ever  was  seen."  The  imprison- 
ment of  a  man  of  such  high  character  and  standing 
upon  so  trifling  a  charge,  simply  holding  an  afternoon 
religious  meeting  in  a  private  house  with  a  few  neigh- 
bors, excited  much  talk  and  indignation,  es^Decially 
when  it  was  found  that  such  confinement  was  not 
warranted  by  the  laws  of  Massachusetts.  Many  vis- 
ited him  in  prison,  and  many  petitions  were  sent  for 
his  release,  and  after  holding  him  three  months  the 
authorities  were  fain  to  bid  him  depart,  somewhat 
after  the  fashion  of  Paul's  release  from  Philippi. 
Continuing  his  tour  he  was  everywhere  received  with 
enthusiasm,  his  bonds  falling  out  rather  for  the  fur- 
therance of  the  Kevival  movement. 

In  Canterbury,  meantime,  there  was  "  confusion 
worse  confounded,"  save  that  parties  were  becoming 
more  clearly  defined  and  antagonistic.     The  commit- 


24:  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

tee  appointed  to  search  into  the  constitution  of  the 
church  made  return,  Jan.  27,  1743 : 

"That  ye  platform  of  church  discipline,  agreed  upon  by  ye 
Synod,  at  Cambridge,  1648,  consisting  of  learned  persons  from 
the  four  Colonies,  is  most  agreeable  to  the  former  and  designed 
practice  of  this  church  (except  their  having  ruling  elders  or  dis- 
tinct officers),  and  most  agreeable  to  the  Scriptures." 

This  report  was  accepted  by  a  unanimous  vote  of 
the  church.  No  one  pretended  at  this  meeting  that 
the  Saybrook  Platform  had  ever  been  accepted  by 
the  church,  or  was  designed  to  govern  it  in  future. 
Even  Colonel  Dyer — the  leading  opposer  to  the  Re- 
vival party — admitted  that  Cambridge  Platform  was 
most  agreeable  to  its  "former  and  designed  prac- 
tice." The  point  of  difference  between  the  parties 
was  the  power  allowed  by  that  Platform.  Several 
persons  had  brought  letters  of  recommendation  to 
the  Canterbury  church,  and  were  anxious  to  be  ad- 
mitted to  its  membership.  The  Revival  party  claimed 
that  in  accordance  with  the  ancient  usage  of  Massa- 
chusetts churches  they  could  receive  such  persons 
into  the  church  by  vote  of  a  majority  of  the  mem- 
bers, in  the  absence  of  a  pastor.  It  was  therefore 
put  to  vote  : — 

"  That  it  is  regular  for  this  church  to  admit  persons  into  this 
church  that  are  in  full  communion  with  other  churches  and  come 
regularly  to  this." 


SPENT   LIGHTS.  25 

Colonel  Dyer  and  Edward  Eaynsford  protested 
earnestly  against  this  vote  as  illegal  and  revolution- 
ary, but  it  was  carried  by  a  clear  majority.  The  right 
thus  claimed  w^as  speedily  exercised. 

Ten  brethren  producing  certificates  from  the  pas- 
tors of  divers  churches  that  they  Avere  in  full  com- 
munion and  regular  standing  with  the  same,  the 
Canterbury  church,  in  absence  of  a  pastor,  voted  to 
receive  them  into  its  membership.  Next  the  church 
proceeded  to  assert  its  right  to  take  the  initiative  in 
the  choice  of  a  pastor.  The  controversy  was  becom- 
ing very  lively.  Ministers  selected  by  either  party 
were  rejected  with  scorn  and  reprobation  by  the 
other.  A  majority  of  the  church  were  pronoun- 
ced Revivalists,  but  a  majoritj^  of  the  society 
favored  the  opposition  under  the  leadership  of 
Col.  Dyer,  a  prominent  citizen  who  had  control  of 
the  meeting-house  and  turned  its  key  against  Re- 
vival preachers.  Orthodox  ministers,  on  the  other 
hand,  w^ere  subjected  to  the  most  soul-searching  in- 
quisition as  to  their  belief  and  experience.  Both 
sides  indulged  in  the  vituperation  common  at  that 
period.  Col.  Dyer  called  his  opponents  "  sorry  fel- 
lows," and  ordered  them  "  to  hold  their  tongues." 
Meetings  called  for  solemn  prayer  and  fasting  w^ere 
made  seasons  of  strife  and  debate.  A  formal  com- 
plaint w^as  laid  against  the  proceedings  of  the  church 
that  they  were   taking  this  independent  stand   "  to 


26  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

make  themselves  strong,  and  were  still  fond  of  their 
own  wills."  After  much  discussion  as  to  the  precise 
nature  of  the  fault  committed  by  these  complainants, 
it  was  voted,  "  that  they  were  guilty  of  evil  surmis- 
ings,  irregular  and  unchristian  treatment  and  disor- 
derly behavior  towards  the  church  " — and,  as  they  re- 
fused to  explain  or  retract,  a  letter  of  admonition  was 
prepared  and  publicly  administered.  The  difficulty 
became  so  serious  that  public  attention  was  called  to 
it.  Through  the  advice  and  manipulations  of  several 
worthy  ministers  on  both  sides  of  the  controversy  an 
armistice  was  at  length  effected,  the  belligerents  ac- 
cepting reproofs  and  mediation  from  a  composite 
council,  and  consenting  to  hear  on  probation,  as  a 
candidate  for  the  vacant  pastorate,  Mr.  James  Cogs- 
well of  Lebanon,  recommended  by  the  ministers  and 
already  approved  by  the  society.  And  now  for  a 
short  time  the  people  of  Canterbury — Eevivalists  and 
Conservatives,  exhorters  and  society  officers,  met  to- 
gether in  the  well-filled  meeting-house  and  submitted 
to  the  ministrations  of  Mr.  James  Cogswell.  He 
was  a  Yale  graduate  of  pleasing  manners,  amiable 
temi^er  and  moderate  opinions,  and  if  tact  and  diplo- 
macy could  have  healed  the  breach  was  just  the  man 
to  effect  it.  But  not  even  an  angel  from  heaven,  as 
Paul  says,  conld  satisfy  parties  in  diametric  opposi- 
tion. In  the  violent  fermentation  accompanying  the 
Great  Eevival  new  light  had  been  evolved  which 
proved  a  veritable  x-ray  in  spiritual  penetration. 


SPENT    LIGHTS.  27 

Under  this  search-light,  the  half-way  covenant  al- 
lowed by  the  churches,  and  the  domination  of  civil 
authority  in  religious  concerns,  were  seen  in  their 
true  inwardness  as  unwarranted  by  Scripture  and 
contrary  to  the  practice  of  the  early  New  England 
churches.  The  arbitrary  Act  of  1742,  restricting  min- 
isters to  their  own  parishes,  and  silencing  exhort- 
ers  was  especially  obnoxious.  Who  placed  a  carnal 
sword  in  the  hands  of  Connecticut  legislators  ?  The 
whole  ecclesiastic  system,  devised  and  maintained 
with  such  care  by  the  leading  ministers  and  laymen 
of  the  colony,  was  condemned  and  renounced  by  ad- 
vanced Revivalists,  now  know  as  "  New  Lights."  A 
thorough  ]3urification  and  sifting  of  the  church,  the 
exclusion  of  half-way  and  dead  members,  and  lib- 
erty to  call  and  maintain  a  minister  without  the  in- 
tervention of  civil  authorities,  was  now  demanded  by 
Elisha  Paine  and  other  progressive  leaders  in  the 
movement.  That  a  conservative  young  minister, 
however  polished  and  logical  his  discourses,  should 
satisfy  such  hearers  was  simply  impossible.  Our 
friend  Elisha  declared — "  That  he  would  rather  be 
burnt  at  the  stake  than  hear  such  preaching,"  and 
a  large  majority  of  the  church  shared  in  this  judg- 
ment. 

But  the  minority,  worn  out  with  the  factious  oppo- 
sition of  the  Revivalists,  now  asserted  itself.  It  was 
useless  to  try  to  find  a  man  that  would  suit  both  par- 


28  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

ties.  They  liked  Mr.  Cogswell  aiid  were  bound  to 
have  him  for  pastor.  And  now  the  battle  began  in 
earnest  between  a  church  minority  backed  by  the 
GoYernment  of  Connecticut,  and  a  New  Light  major- 
ity headed  by  Elisha  Paine.  The  society  proceeded 
to  call  Mr.  Cogswell  to  preach  as  a  candidate ;  the 
New  Lights,  conscientious!}^  objecting  "  to  spend  the 
precious  day  of  the  Lord  under  a  general  and  life- 
less preaching,"  formally  withdrew  from  the  stated 
worship.  A  majority  of  the  church  voted,  "  To  ap- 
point the  house  of  Samuel  AYadsworth  to  be  a  place 
to  meet  in  by  themselves  to  serve  the  Lord  in  spirit 
and  in  truth," — thus  openl}^  setting  at  naught  the 
law  of  the  colon}^  Officers  of  the  law  were  quick  to 
enforce  the  prescribed  penalty.  Elisha  Paine  and 
Benajah  Douglas,  a  zealous  brother,  were  arrested 
and  hurried  off  to  Windham  jail  on  charge  "  of 
preaching  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,"  in  a  place  not 
recognized  by  the  Constitution  of  Connecticut — and 
without  required  license.  The  whole  county  was 
stirred  by  these  proceedings.  Crowds  of  people 
flocked  to  the  jail,  so  eager  to  see  and  hear  the  pris- 
oners that  Paine  Avas  allowed  to  preach  in  the  jail 
yard  by  giving  security.  Indignant  Conservatives 
protested  against  this  liberty,  insisting  that  the  sheriff 
should  be  made  to  drive  the  people  out  and  keep  the 
doors  locked.  Meanwhile  the  Ministerial  Associa- 
tions and  high  officials  of  the  colony  were  encour- 


SPENT    LIGHTS.  21) 

aging  and  abetting  the  Canterbury  minority  in  tlieir 
efforts  to  put  down  tlie  New  Lights  and  settle  an 
orthodox  minister. 

In  Sei^tember,  1744,  the  society  proceeded  to  give 
a  formal  "  call  "  to  Mr.  Cogswell.  The  church  imme- 
diately held  a  meeting,  in  which  a  large  majority 
protested  against  this  call  as  an  usurpation  of  power 
delegated  to  the  church  alone.  They  also  made  a 
formal  proposition  that,  if  those  in  church  and  so- 
ciety who  chose  to  settle  Mr.  Cogswell  as  their  pastor 
and  follow  Saybrook  Platform  would  allow  the  ma- 
jority their  share  of  the  meeting-house  they  had 
helped  build,  and  free  them  from  the  charge  of  sup- 
porting  Mr.  Cogswell,  they  would  oblige  themselves 
to  keep  up  regular  public  worship,  and  refrain  from 
all  further  opposition  to  his  settlement — but  this 
proposition,  which  seems  to  modern  eyes  so  just  and 
reasonable,  and  all  other  protests  and  remonstrances 
were  scornfully  rejected.  To  grant  such  privileges 
to  schismatic  New  Lights,  open  opposers  of  the  church 
establishment  of  Connecticut,  was  entirely  out  of  the 
question.  The  eyes  of  the  Avhole  colony  were  upon 
Canterbury.  No  other  church  had  taken  so  bold  a 
stand-  Yale  college  was  now  dealing  with  our  young 
collegiate,  John  Cleaveland,  and  his  brother,  Eben- 
ezer,  who,  during  the  summer  vacation,  had  attended 
the  meetings  at  Mr.  Wadsworth's  house  with  their 
parents,  thereby  transgressing  the  college  law  which 

3* 


80  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

forbade  attendance  upon  irregular  or  separate  meet- 
ings. The  young  men  explained  that  they  did  not 
know  that  this  law  was  in  force  when  they  Avere  out 
of  college  in  vacation,  and  had  not  supposed  that 
these  meetings,  held  by  a  major  vote  of  the  church 
to  which  they  belonged,  were  to  be  considered  un- 
lawful or  separate. 

"A  few  more  than  half  makes  no  difference,"  re- 
plied Rector  Clap,  as  the  meetings  were  held  in  a 
private  house,  and  conducted  by  unlicensed  exhortors. 
John  Cleaveland  then  petitioned  : 

"To  the  Rev*^.  and  Hon^.  Rector  and  Tutors  of  Yale  College 
in  New  Haven.     Rev^.  &  Hon'*. 

"  It  hath  been  a  very  great  concern  and  trouble  to  me,  that  my 
conduct  in  the  late  vacancy  [vacation]  has  been  such  as  not  to 
maintain  interest  in  your  favor,  and  still  retain  the  great  privi- 
leges that  I  have  enjoyed  for  three  j'ears  past  under  your  learned, 
wise,  and  faithful  instruction  and  government.  Nothing  of  an 
outward  nature  can  equally  affect  me  with  that  of  beiug  hence- 
forward wholly  secluded  from  the  same. 

"  Hon*^.  Fathers,  suffer  me  to  lie  at  your  feet,  and  intreat  yo\u- 
compassionate  forgiveness  to  an  offending  child  wherein  I  have 
transgressed. 

Venerable  Sirs  :  I  entreat  you,  for  your  paternal  wisdom  and 
clemency,  to  make  in  my  case  such  kind  allowance  for  the  want 
of  that  penetration  and  solid  judgment  expected  in  riper  heads 
— as  tender  parents  are  naturally  disposed  in  respect  of  their 
weak  children.  But  more  especially  I  beg  to  be  admitted  in 
the  humblest  manner  to  suggest  as  a  motive  of  your  compassion 
to  the  ignorant, — that  I  did  not  know  it  was  a  transgression  of 


SPENT   LIGHTS.  31 

either  the  Laws  of  God,  this  Colony,  or  the  College,  for  me,  as  a 
member,  and  in  covenant  with  a  particular  church,  as  is  generally 
owned  to  be  a  church  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  meet  together  with  a 
major  part  of  said  church  for  social  worship.  And  therefore  do 
I)eg  and  intreat  that  my  ignorance  may  be  suffered  to  apologize. 
For  in  respect  to  that  fact,  which  to  riper  heads  may  appear  to 
be  a  real  transgression,  I  can  assure  you,  Ven^'*^  Sirs,  that  I  have 
endeavored  to  keep  and  observe  all  the  known  laws  and  customs 
of  College  uublamably.  And  I  hope  I  shall  for  the  future  be 
enabled  so  to  do,  if  I  may  be  restored  to  a  standing  again  in  my 
class.  Thus  begging  your  compassion,  I  subscribe,  your  humble 
servant  and  obedient  pupil. 

New  Haven,  Nov.  26,  1744.  John  Cleaveland." 

But  110  plea  of  ignorance  or  appeal  for  mercy  could 
condone  such  an  offence.  Nothing-  would  satisfy  the 
obdurate  rector  and  faculty  but  a  public  confession 
in  the  hall,  by  the  offenders,  "  That  they  had  violated 
the  laws  of  God,  the  Colony  and  the  College."  This 
confession  the  young  students  could  not  in  conscience 
make,  and  after  suitable  space  for  reflection  and  re- 
pentance they  were  publicly  expelled  and  commanded 
to  depart  the  hall  and  college  limits,  never  more  to 
return.  Likewise  their  fellow  students  were  forbid- 
den to  hold  farther  communication  with  them  "  lest 
they  be  infected  thereb}^  " — and  all  this  because  like 
good  boys  they  had  gone  to  church  with  their  parents 
in  vacation. 

Their  New  Light  friends  of  Canterbury,  were  at 
the  same  date  receivins:'  sentence.      The  Windham 


32  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

County  Consociation  was  convened  December,  1744, 
for  the  ordination  of  Mr.  Cogswell.  At  a  previous 
meeting,  attended  by  the  whole  church,  a  large  ma- 
jority refused  to  concur  in  this  ordination,  and  denied 
the  authority  of  Saybrook  Platform  to  coerce  them. 
Brethren  who  looked  upon  themselves  as  under  Say- 
brook  Regulations,  sixteen  in  number,  "did  then  move 
to  the  east  side  of  the  meeting-house,  chose  a  mod- 
erator, and  then,  by  a  unanimous  vote,  concurred  with 
the  society  in  calling  Mr.  James  Cogswell  to  become 
their  pastor."  Whether  his  ordination  would  be  al- 
lowed under  this  minority  call  was  a  question  that 
excited  much  interest.  An  elect  body  of  ministers 
and  delegates  was  to  sit  in  judgment  and  decide.  A 
large  assembly  listened  to  their  deliberations — all  the 
inhabitants  of  Canterbury  and  neighboring  towns, 
with  many  from  distant  sections — grave  ministers 
and  magistrates,  friends  of  law  and  order,  and  all  the 
more  prominent  New  Lights  and  their  sympathizers. 
So  great  a  gathering  had  probably  not  been  wit- 
nessed in  Canterbury  since  the  days  of  the  Fitch  and 
Winthrop  controversy,  but  how  much  more  deep  and 
soul-stirring  the  interest  now  exhibited  with  such  vi- 
tal principles  at  stake.  The  facts  of  the  case  were 
clearly  set  forth — the  question  deduced  was  very 
simple — Is  this  body  of  sixteen  Saybrook  Platform 
brethren  the  church  of  Canterbury  ?  In  opposition  it 
was  shown  that  the  church  at  first  had  simply  cove- 


SPENT    LIGHTS.  33 

iianted  to  walk  with  God  and  one  another,  and  had 
supposed  itself  Congregational :  that  when  it  settled 
its  second  pastor  they  made  him  sign  with  them  an 
explicit  statement  that  they  were  under  Cambridge 
and  not  Saybrook  Platform,  and  had  still  farther  re- 
jected Saybrook  Platform  by  the  unanimous  vote  of 
1743.  After  prolonged  examination  and  discussion 
the  council  gave  judgment — 

That,  according  to  the  law  of  the  colony  and  usage 
in  the  churches,  all  churches  within  Connecticut  gov- 
ernment were  supposed  and  understood  to  be  under 
Saybrook  Platform  Regulation  unless,  by  formal  vote, 
covenant  or  agreement  they  manifested  dissent  as 
such  a  body  and  in  such  church  capacity  ;  that  the 
church  of  Canterburj^,  whatever  its  private  sentiments 
might  have  been,  did  not  thus  formally  and  i3ublicly 
manifest  dissent  before  the  vote  of  1743,  and  that 
those  who  on  that  day  expressed  their  preference  for 
Cambridge  Platform  had  thus  denominated  them- 
selves another  church,  and  separated  themselves  from 
those  who  adhered  to  Sajdjrook  Regulation,  and  that, 
therefore,  brethren  now  abiding  in  the  above  Regu- 
lation should  thenceforward  be  recognized  in  law  as 
the  church  of  Canterbury. 

This  decision,  perhaps,  marks  the  maximum  of 
Connecticut's  attainment  in  her  coalition  of  church 
and  State,  placing  Saj^brook  Platform  as  her  ecclesi- 
astic constitution  upon  the  same  footing  virtually  as 


34  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

the  state  religions  of  the  Old  World.  Its  announce- 
ment at  this  juncture,  strengthening  the  hands  of  the 
ministry  and  government,  was  received  with  much 
satisfaction  by  the  friends  of  law  and  order.  The 
minority  in  Canterbury  was  greatly  elated  by  its  vic- 
tory, and  straightway  installed  the  minister  of  their 
choice  Avitli  due  ceremony  and  felicitations. 

But  the  rejoicing  was  not  wholly  confined  to  the 
victors.  The  defeated  New  Lights  rejoiced  in  that 
they  were  deemed  worthy  to  suffer  in  behalf  of  their 
principles.  And,  farther,  they  rejoiced  in  the  divid- 
ing line  so  clearly  manifested;  in  the  separation  thus 
avowed  and  promulgated  between  the  New  Lights 
and  their  opposers~as  "  two  different,  distinct  bod- 
ies, acting  in  two  different  kingdoms  " — the  one  had 
chosen  "  their  glorious,  exalted  Eedeemer  to  be  their 
only  Head  : "  the  other  had  chosen  for  its  head  an 
unscriptural,  human  institution — the  Constitution  of 
the  colony.  Many  years  later,  Ebenezer  Frothing- 
ham  of  Middletown  recalled  to  the  memory  of  Can- 
terbury Separates  the  raptures  of  "  that  blessed, 
sweet  and  glorious  day,  when  the  first  visible  flock  of 
Christ  in  the  Colony  took  up  Christ's  sweet  cross  to 
follow  the  Lamb,"  with  such  gracious  manifestations 
of  "  Divine  power  and  presence,  and  truth  flowing  in 
a  living  stream  from  heart  to  heart."  Not  only  did 
the  Separate  movement  throughout  the  colony  re- 
ceive a  marvelous  impulse  by  this  decision,  but  it 


SPENT   LIGHTS.  35 

served  as  the  spoken  word  by  whicli  a  certain  defi- 
niteness  of  statement  and  aim  was  evolved  from  the 
previous  chaos,  and  various  conflicting  elements 
brought  to  unite  in  determined  hostility  to  the  church 
establishment  that  claimed  such  supreme  power. 

The  Canterbury  Separate  Church,  as  it  was  now 
called,  though  unstated  in  the  eye  of  the  law,  robbed 
of  its  birthright,  deprived  of  legal  existence  and 
privileges,  could  still  rejoice  in  the  heroic  stand  it 
had  taken  and  the  liberty  it  had  achieved — liberty  at 
least  to  choose  a  minister  '"  after  God's  heart "  and 
their  own  fancy,  and  order  its  worship  after  the 
Gospel  pattern.  As  the  first  church  in  Connecticut, 
and  probably  in  New  England,  of  avowed  New  Light 
or  Separate  principles,  it  held  a  most  conspicuous  and 
influential  position.  With  eagerness  it  embraced  the 
earliest  opportunity  to  re-affirm  the  original  church 
covenant,  and  also  to  guard  against  things  that  might 
lead  to  "  darkness  and  corruption  "  by  making  some 
points  "  more  plain  and  particular,"  especially  with 
regard  to  admitting  into  the  church  none  but  true 
believers  assured  of  their  own  conversion,  and  the 
use  of  civil  power  in  securing  support  of  the  minister. 
This  amended  covenant  was  signed  at  first  by  some 
sixty  church  members,  and  by  many  others  in  the 
course  of  a  few  months,  representing  some  of  the 
most  substantial  families  of  the  town. 

Renewing  its  attempt  to  call  and  settle  a  minister, 


36  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

it  first  addressed  its  "  dear  aud  honored  father,"  Elisha 
Paine,  but  the  leadings  of  Providence  clearly  calling* 
him  to  a  wider  field,  it  finally  made  choice  of  his 
brother  Solomon,  who,  after  serious  spiritual  conflict^ 
accepted  the  call,  and  was  formally  ordained  pastor  of 
the  "First  or  regular  Congregational  church  of  Can- 
terbury." This  matter  of  ordination  was  accom- 
plished with  much  difficulty — the  established  minis- 
try of  the  colony  disdainfully  reprobating  such 
irregular  proceedings — but  relief  was  procured  by 
means  of  a  Separate  exhorter,  Thomas  Denison, 
who  had  been  regularly  ordained  by  Rev.  Ebenezer 
Moulton,  of  Brimfield,  a  Baptist  minister,  who  could 
trace  back  in  ministerial  succession  to  three  of  the 
most  noted  Puritan  ministers  of  Boston.  With  his 
assistance  an  attempt  was  made  in  Mansfield  to  ordain 
their  good  brother  and  deacon,  Thomas  Marsh,  as 
teaching  elder  of  the  Separate  church.  But  when  a 
great  concourse  of  people  gathered  on  the  api^ointed 
day  to  witness  the  services,  they  found  that  the  good 
deacon  had  been  arrested  the  day  previous  on  charge 
of  preaching  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  without  law- 
ful license  or  authority,  and  was  "  closely  locked  wp  " 
in  Windham  jail.  That  the  services  carried  on  that 
day  in  Mansfield  by  Elisha  Paine  and  other  Separate 
leaders  were  highly  inflammatory  in  character  is  not 
surprising.  Nor  was  the  excitement  lessened  by  the 
appearance  upon  the  scene  of  that  most  formidable 


SPENT    LIGHTS.  37 

body — the  Windham  County  Association — "  fourteen 
learned  ministers,"  armed  with  all  the  powers  and 
terrors  of  ecclesiastic  authority,  hoping  by  this  united 
appearing-  and  testimony  to  scatter  the  evil  forces  of 
Separatism — attempting,  says  Backus,  "to  scatter 
that  flock  after  their  shepherd  was  smitten."  But  the 
storm  evoked  had  passed  far  beyond  human  manipu- 
lation. The  ministers  met  a  most  tumultuous  recep- 
tion. Their  attem^Dted  arguments  and  remonstrances 
were  droAvned  "in  unchristian  and  approbrious  revil- 
ings,"  and  they  were  forced  to  retreat,  after  reading 
a  formal  protest  in  the  name  of  the  appointed  eccle- 
siastic authority  of  the  county.  A  month  later  the 
Mansfield  Separates  succeeded  in  carrying  through 
the  ordination  of  another  brother,  John  Hovey,  while 
good  Deacon  Marsh  was  kept  locked  up  in  jail  for  six 
months. 

But  despite,  and  iiartly  because  of,  these  very  ob- 
stacles and  persecutions,  Separatism  was  making 
great  advances.  Not  only  in  Connecticut  but  all 
over  New  England,  Christians  were  coming  out  from 
the  established  churches.  "Come  out  from  among 
them  and  be  ye  separate,"  was  the  cry  that  rang 
through  the  land.  "  Come  out  from  these  dead  and 
corrupted  churches ;  from  the  abominable  tyranny  of 
those  unchristian  and  ungodly  Civil  Constitutions, 
and  rejoice  in  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  has  made 
us  free."     Every  town,  nearly  every  community,  Avas 


38  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

stirred  by  this  religious  movement ;  masses  of  en- 
thusiastic Separates,  breaking  av/ay  from  the  yoke 
of  Egyptian  bondage  in  joyful  hope  of  establishing 
a  pure  church  and  hastening  forward  the  glorious 
day  of  gosi3el  grace  and  deliverance.  Ignorant, 
fanatical,  unaccustomed  to  self  or  church  govern- 
ment, burning  with  zeal  and  righteous  indignation, 
how  great  their  need  of  wise  and  competent  leader- 
ship. One  man  alone,  according  to  the  church 
historian.  Rev.  Isaac  Backus,  w^as  equal  to  the  oc- 
casion. To  one  man  above  all  others  they  turned 
for  help  and  guidance  ;  Elisha  Paine  was  the  Moses 
to  lead  the  Separates  from  Egypt  to  the  Promised 
Land.  From  every  quarter  came  to  him  letters  aod 
messengers  beseeching  his  presence  and  aid,  and  to 
this  work  he  dedicated  his  life  and  energies.  Like 
Wesley,  of  later  times,  he  went  about  his  mission, 
traveling  from  town  to  town  and  from  one  colony  to 
another,  everywhere  aiding  in  the  formation  and 
building  up  of  Separate  churches.  His  superior  ed- 
ucation and  sound  judgment  enabled  him  in  some 
degree  to  direct  and  control  the  seething  elements. 
"  A  mixed  multitude  "  accompanied  the  Israelites  out 
of  Egypt.  The  Separate  movement  swept  through 
the  low^est  stratum  of  society,  in  a  day  of  compara- 
tive ignorance  and  imperfect  civilization,  taking  in 
not  only  the  ignorant,  fanatical  and  visionary,  cranks 
of  every  variety,  but  the  sore-heads,  the  grumbleto- 


SPENT    LIC4HTS.  39 

nians ;  all  who  for  any  cause  were  brought  into  op- 
position to  constituted  authorities.  To  bring  these 
scattered  and  disorderly  congregations  into  anything 
like  coherent  and  orderly  church  estate,  seemed  a 
task  beyond  the  power  of  mortals.  But  Paine  and 
other  devoted  Separates  went  bravely  forward,  trust- 
ing in  the  righteousness  of  their  cause  and  the  help 
of  their  divine  Leader.  The  Mansfield  Separate 
church  adopted  and  published  an  elaborate  covenant, 
which  may  be  considered  the  official  statement  of 
New  Light  doctrine  and  practice.  A  pure  church, 
perfect  assurance  of  conversion  and  salvation  in  every 
member,  liberty  to  choose  and  set  aside  its  own  offi- 
cers, and,  also,  to  preach,  exhort,  and  support  the 
preacher  in  its  own  fashion,  were  its  distinguishing 
characteristics.  As  far  as  possible  this  covenant  was 
made  the  standard  in  other  Separate  churches.  The 
destruction  of  Saybrook  Platform  was  made  a  special 
object  in  Connecticut.  "  A  Short  View  of  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  Church  of  Christ,"  and  the  difference 
between  it  and  the  church  as  established  by  Civil  Au- 
thority, published  by  Solomon  Paine,  serving  "  as  a 
burning  torch  to  enlighten  the  conscience"  in  this 
regard.  The  views  and  practices  of  the  several 
churches  depended  much  upon  the  character  of  their 
leaders  and  the  strength  of  the  separation.  In  com- 
munities like  Canterbury  and  Plainfield,  where  it  in- 
cluded a  majority  of  the  respectable  families,  they 


40  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

differed  little  from  other  Cougregational  churclies 
except  in  greater  spirituality  and  liberty  of  speech. 
The  testimony  of  Eev.  David  Rowland,  pastor  of  the 
standing  church  of  Plainfield,  who  by  reason  of  his 
position  was  obnoxious  to  the  New  Lights,  has  great 
weight.     He  writes,  at  a  later  date — 

"  Althougli  some  things  appeared  amoug  tliem  at  first  very  un- 
warrantable, jet  considering  their  infant  state  it  must  be  ac- 
knowledged by  all  that  were  acquainted  with  them,  that  they 
were  a  people,  in  general,  conscientiously  engaged  in  promoting 
truth,  and  Mr.  Stevens,  their  minister,  a  very  clear  and  powerful 
preacher  of  the  Gospel,  as  must  be  acknowledged  by  all  who 
heard  him." 

But  while  laboring  "  to  guard  against  things  that 
might  lead  to  darkness  and  corruption,"  they  ad- 
mitted one  fatal  error — the  assumed  possession  of 
the  "key  of  knowledge,"  by  which  they  not  only  had 
perfect  assurance  of  their  own  conversion  and  eter- 
nal salvation,  but  through  "the  inward  actings  of 
their  own  souls  "  could  test  the  spiritual  condition  of 
all  with  whom  they  came  in  contact.  The  adoption 
of  this  pernicious  principle  wrought  incalculable  mis- 
chief— leading  the  New  Lights  to  despise  human 
knowledge,  to  set  their  own  personal  impression 
against  all  evidence  and  authority,  and  above  all  to 
deny  the  possession  of  true  religion  to  Christians 
whose  experience  varied  from  their  standard.     It  led 


SPENT    LIGHTS.  41 

them  to  denounce  with  most  scathmg  seventy  the 
ministry  and  membership  of  the  established  churches. 
Nothing  brought  the  Separates  into  such  disrepute 
with  true  friends  of  the  Revival  as  the  abuse  and 
maledictions  poured  out  upon  the  standing  churches. 

But  when  turned  u^Don  themselves  the  use  of  this 
supernatural  key  was  even  more  disastrous.  No  one 
was  safe  from  the  "  inward  acting "  of  his  neighbor's 
soul.  Few  of  these  perfectly  assured  and  regener- 
ated church  members  escaped  church  censure  and 
discipline.  Their  records  are  filled  with  accusations, 
trials,  admonitions,  and  excommunications.  With  no 
authority  back  of  themselves  to  settle  their  disputes, 
trusting  to  their  own  impulses  and  literal  interpreta- 
tion of  detached  iDassages  of  scripture,  these  loosely 
organized  bodies  quickly  fell  into  scandalous  disorder 
and  confusion.  Letters  coming  to  Elisha  Paine  from 
many  New  Light  organizations  show  how  widespread 
were  these  difficulties  and  disorders. 

And  against  these  bodies  of  struggling  Separates 
were  ranged  all  the  forces  of  civil  and  ecclesiastic  au- 
thority. To  the  Government  of  Connecticut  the  NeAv 
Lights  were  simply  outlaws,  excluded  by  special  act 
of  legislation  from  privileges  granted  to  other  dis- 
senting churches.  Deluded  Baptists  and  intruding 
Episcoi3alians  might  claim  the  benefit  of  The  Tolera- 
tion Act,  but  for  the  rebellious  children  of  their  own 
favored  churches  there  could  be  no  release  or  mercy. 

4* 


42  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

Did  the  New  Light  leaders,  taunted  with  their  own 
ignorance,  attempt  to  found  an  academy  at  New 
London  for  the  better  instruction  of  young  men  as 
Christian  teachers  and  exhorters  (an  experimental 
Northlield)  ?  A  law  was  at  once  enacted,  October, 
1742,  forbidding  the  establishment  of  such  school  or 
academy  for  young  i^ersons  without  liberty  from  the 
Assembly,  upon  very  severe  penalties.  Should  such 
unlawful  school  be  established  the  civil  authority  of 
a  town  was  ordered  to  make  inspection,  and  proceed 
with  such  scholars  and  students,  and  such  as  harbor 
or  board  them,  according  to  the  law  of  the  colony  re- 
specting transient  persons.  In  the  same  Act  it  pro- 
vided— that  no  person  that  has  not  been  graduated  in 
Yale  or  Harvard  colleges,  or  other  Protestant  college, 
shall  take  the  benefit  of  the  laws  of  the  Government 
respecting  the  settlement  and  estate  of  ministers. 
And  while  thus  denying  New  Lights  liberty  of  speech 
and  worship,  liberty  to  found  and  attend  schools  of 
their  own  order,  they  took  from  them  as  far  as  pos- 
sible every  civil  right.  Separates  were  excluded  from 
town  offices ;  men  of  substance  and  character,  like 
Obediali  Johnson,  of  Canterbury,  when  elected  repre- 
sentative to  the  Assembly  by  a  majority  of  his  fellow 
citizens,  was  not  allowed  to  take  his  seat  because  of 
holding  the  office  of  deacon  in  the  rebellious  church. 
Ordained  Separate  ministers  were  shut  up  in  jail  for 
joining  in  marriage  their  own  church  members.     Bap- 


SPENT    LIGHTS.  43 

tisms  and  marriages  performed  by  tliem  ^Yere  pro- 
jioimced  illegal.  And  worse  tlian  all  in  its  effects, 
touching  all  classes,  were  the  rates  extorted  for  the 
support  of  the  established  churches.  In  the  eyes  of 
the  law  each  Separate  was  still  a  member  of  the  parish 
in  which  he  resided,  and  obliged  to  pay  for  the  sup- 
port of  its  stated  religious  worship.  Refusing  to  pay, 
his  goods  were  forcibly  taken  by  the  collector,  and, 
however  much  exceeding  the  amount  due,  no  overplus 
was  ever  returned.  If  goods  were  insufficient  the  men 
were  carried  to  prison.  These  were  the  days  of  Con- 
necticut's "  religious  persecution,"  not  bloody,  indeed, 
but  most  harrassing'  and  persistent.  All  over  the  col- 
ony Avere  heard  the  cries  of  these  afflicted  Separates — 
men  dragged  to  jail  by  force,  wives  and  children  left 
helpless  at  home.  Instances  of  special  hardship  are 
noted — the  poor  man's  only  cow  driven  away  from 
his  door,  the  meat  or  grain  laid  up  for  winter  suste- 
nance carried  off  bj^  the  merciless  collector.  Wind- 
ham jail  was  so  crowded  with  victims  as  to  require  an 
additional  story.  In  Norwich,  where  there  was  a 
strong  New  Light  element,  the  contest  was  very 
bitter.  The  venerable  mother  of  the  church  historian, 
Rev.  Isaac  Backus,  was  taken  from  her  home  and 
confined  thirteen  days  in  jail  for  refusing  to  pay  her 
church  rate.  It  took  the  constable  and  six  assistants 
to  carry  a  resistant  brother  to  jail.  Rev.  Alexander 
Miller,  of   Yoluntown,    ancestor    of   the    late    Hon. 


44  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

William  L.  Gaston,  of  Massachusetts,  tells  liis  story 
in  the  subjoined  petition  : 

"Whereas,  we  are  rendered  incapable  upon  the  account  of 
sickness  and  imprisonment,  of  sending  a  petition,  we  take  this 
opportunity  of  informing  your  Honors  of  the  difficulties  we 
have  met  with  as  to  our  outward  man  because  we  are  constrained 
to  observe  and  follow  the  dictates  of  our  own  conscience,  agree- 
able to  the  Word  of  God,  in  matters  of  religion,  looking  upon  it 
to  be  God's  prerogative  to  order  the  affairs  of  his  own  worship. 
We  are  of  that  number  who  soberly  dissented  from  the  Church 
established  by  Conn,  and  though  we  have  no  design  to  act  in 
contempt  of  any  lawful  authority,  or  to  disturb  any  religious 
society,  but  only  to  worship  God  according  to  the  rules  he  has 
given  us  in  his  Word  in  that  way  now  called  Separation,  yet 
have  we  suffered  the  loss  of  much  of  our  goods,  particularly  be- 
cause we  could  not  in  conscience  pay  minister's  rates,  it  appear- 
ing to  us  very  contrary  to  the  way  that  the  Lord  hath  ordained 
even  the  present  way  in  which  ministry  are  maintained — Poor 
men's  estates  taken  away  and  sold  for  less  than  a  quarter  of  their 
value,  and  no  overplus  returned,  as  hath  been  the  case  of  your 
Honor's  poor  informers  ;  yea,  poor  men's  cows  taken  when  they 
had  but  one  for  the  support  of  their  families,  and  the  children 
crying  for  milk  and  could  get  none,  because  the  collector  had 
taken  their  cow  for  minister's  rates.  Neither  have  they  stopped 
here,  though  we  have  never  resisted  them,  but  when  our  goods 
could  no  longer  suffice  we  were  taken  from  our  families  and  cast 
into  prison,  where  some  of  us  have  lain  above  two  months,  far 
distant  from  our  families,  who  are  in  very  difficult  circumstances. 
Yea  !  and  here  we  must  unavoidably  lie  the  remainder  of  our 
days  unless  we  consent  to  such  methods  for  which  we  can  see 
no  warrant  in  God's  Word.     No  !    surely  it  never  came  into  his 


SPENT    LIGHTS.  45 

mind,  neither  hath  he  commanded  that  it  should  be  so,  that  the 
Gospel  of  Peace  should  be  so  maintained  ;  he  hath  told  his  minis- 
ters how  they  shall  have  their  maintenance,  but  not  a  word  of 
imprisoning  men  for  refusing  to  maintain  them,  surely  the  best 
things  corrupted  form  the  worst.  And  now,  we  pray  you  to 
take  notice  of  our  difficulties,  and  grant  us  relief  from  bondage 
that  we  may  enjoy  the  privileges  other  dissenters  enjoy. 
Windham  Prison,  May  13,  1752." 

No  notice  was  taken  of  this  representation,  and  tlie 
prisoners  were  kept  in  jail  till  the  authorities  thought 
proper  to  release  them.  Two  years  later  they  again 
presented  their  case  to  the  Assembly  : — 

-'  We,  whose  names  are  subscribed,  because  we  could  not  in 
conscience  pay  minister's  salary,  which  we  find  neither  precept 
nor  example  for  in  the  Word  of  God,  as  we  understand  the  same, 
and  after  we  had  once  and  again  suffered  the  loss  of  much  of  our 
substance,  being  taken  from  us  by  collectors,  our  bodies  were 
taken  .  .  ,  and  cast  into  prison  in  said  Windham  jail,  where 
we  were  closely  confined,  some  of  us  above  twenty  miles  distant 
from  our  families — where  we  lay  some  of  us  ten  weeks  in  most 
distressing  circumstances  as  to  our  bodies,  and  our  families  re- 
duced or  exposed  to  difficulties  too  affecting  to  your  Honors  to 
hear,  could  they  be  related.  During  which  time  we  wrote  to 
you  to  inform  you  of  our  difficulties  even  while  we  were  in 
prison,  but  having  been  informed  that  said  letter  was  never  read 
publicly  and  cannot  be  found,  offer  this  to  you. 

Alexander  Miller. 

Peter  Miller. 

Joseph  Spalding. 

Joseph  Warren." 


46  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

Elislia  Paine,  after  the  removal  of  his  family  to 
Long  Island,  returning  in  midwinter  for  household 
goods  and  stock,  was  arrested  for  rates  due  Mr.  Cogs- 
well and  kept  for  months  in  Windham  jail,  to  the 
great  inconvenience  and  suffering  of  himself  and 
family.  Petitions  sent  to  the  General  Assembly  for 
relief  in  numberless  cases  were  promptly  "  dismissed 
by  both  houses."  A  formal  memorial  presented  in 
1753,  from  the  representatives  of  some  twenty-five 
New  Light  churches,  praying  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Toleration  Act,  was  scornfully  rejected.  Men  whose 
hearts  had  been  stirred  in  childhood  by  stories  handed 
down  from  their  grandfathers  of  the  persecutions  of 
"  Bloody  Claver'ouse  "  and  "  Wicked  Jeffries,"  now 
thrust  their  own  brethren  into  like  bondage.  In  vain 
was  the  parallel  forced  upon  their  notice — "  We  are 
but  asking  for  the  privileges  for  which  our  fathers 
bled  and  suffered  and  came  to  this  new  world." 

"  I  can  but  marvel,"  says  Elisha  Paine,  "  to  see  how 
soon  the  children  will  forget  the  sword  that  drove 
their  fathers  into  this  land,  and  take  hold  of  it  as  a 
jewel,  and  kill  their  grandchildren  therewith."  Again 
he  writes— "The  Eoman  Emperor  was  the  first  beast 
which  persecuted  the  Christians  that  separated  from 
their  established  religion,  and  by  their  law,  fined, 
whipped,  imprisoned  and  killed  them  ;  we  all  own 
that  the  Pope  or  Papal  throne  is  the  Second  Beast, 
which  compels  all  under  him  to  submit  to  his  wor- 


SPENT    LIGHTS.  47 

ship.  Now  what  your  prisoner  requests  of  you  is  a 
clear  distinction  between  the  Ecclesiastic  Constitu- 
tion of  Connecticut,  by  which  I  am  now  held  in  prison, 
and  the  aforesaid  two  thrones  or  beasts,  in  the  foun- 
dation, constitution  and  support  thereof."  But  their 
eyes  were  blinded  that  they  could  not  see  distinction 
or  parallel.  The  mistakes,  the  excesses,  the  violence 
and  hostility  of  the  Separates  furnished,  as  was  said, 
"  an  awful  specimen"  of  their  need  of  this  very  sys- 
tem which  iliey  so  bitterly  denounced. 

Failing  in  all  attempts  to  procure  relief  from  the 
government  of  Connecticut,  the  Separates  were  driven 
to  appeal  to  the  throne  of  Britain.  Twenty  Separate 
churches  prepared  a  memorial,  praying  King  George 
to  grant  them  the  benefit  of  the  Toleration  Act  of 
Great  Britain.  This  memorial  Avas  carried  to  Eng- 
land by  a  special  deputation  in  1756,  and  first  exhibi- 
ted to  ,tlie  "  Committee  for  the  Dissenters."  That 
body  received  the  report  with  amazement,  and  could 
scarcely  believe  that  the  children  of  men  who  had 
fled  from  the  domination  of  a  State  religion  would 
have  fashioned  a  parallel  yoke  for  their  own  country- 
men, and  that  Dissenters  from  the  church  establish- 
ment of  Connecticut  were  denied  privileges  granted 
to  those  in  the  mother  country.  This  denial  they 
deemed  a  plain  violation  of  charter  rights  and  feared 
that  the  presentation  of  the  Separate  memorial  would 
greatly  injure  Connecticut.     The  chairman's  letter  of 


48  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

remoustrauce  and  censure,  and  the  disturbances  ac- 
companying the  French  and  Indian  Avar,  modified 
the  policy  of  the  g-overnmeut,  and  thenceforward  ex- 
emption from  rate  paying  under  favorable  circum- 
stances, and  other  slight  ameliorations  of  treatment^ 
was  grudgingly  accorded.  But  this  leniency  came 
too  late  to  save  the  great  majority  of  Separates.  A 
number  of  their  leaders  were  already  gone,  worn  out 
with  the  severity  of  the  conflict ;  their  churches  had 
wasted ;  the  rank  and  file  were  greatly  demoralized. 
A  few  churches,  indeed,  struggled  on,  holding  fast  to 
their  peculiar  principles,  and  in  time  secured  a  stand- 
ing among  the  regular  Congregational  churches  of 
Connecticut,  and  are  still  represented  by  flourishing 
and  influential  church  fellowships.  But  for  the  great 
mass  it  was  defeat  and  bitter  disappointment — their 
buoyant  hopes  of  a  pure  church  and  emancipation 
from  Saybrook  yoke  blasted  and  destroyed.  Their 
heroic  stand  for  principle ;  their  battle  for  eternal 
rights  and  freedom  degenerated  into  a  noisy  squab- 
ble with  rate  collectors.  The  more  substantial  ele- 
ment went  back  into  the  stated  churches ;  a  very 
respectable  number  allied  themselves  with  the  strug- 
gling Baptists  ;  the  remnant  remaining  were  but  Pa- 
riahs and  outcasts — "  Wild  Separates  "  as  they  were 
called ;  veritable  terrors ;  violent,  factious,  impracti- 
cable, hurling  anathemas  upon  all  who  disagreed 
with  them  ;  their  "  hand  against  every  man  and  every 
man's  hand  asrainst  them." 


SPENT   LIGHTS.  49 

To  all  outward  appearance  the  "  Separate  move- 
ment "  had  failed  completely.  As  a  sect,  as  an  organ- 
ization, the  New  Lig-hts  Avere  indeed  "  Spent  Lights  " 
— spe?7t,  perhaps,  but  not  wholly  extinguished.  Those 
poor  old  Separates  with  all  their  faults,  follies  and 
blunders,  have  indeed  long  since  passed  aw^ay — their 
bodies  resting  in  forgotten  graves — but  we  rejoice  to 
believe  that  "their  souls  are  marching  on."  -The 
principles  for  which  they  contended  are  now  recog- 
nized and  established ;  the  liberty  for  which  they 
panted  has  become  the  birthright  of  every  resident 
of  this  great  country  ;  even  that  adamantine,  inflexi- 
ble Platforvi  which  they  so  battered  and  berated ; 
that  Ecclesiastic  Constitution  of  Connecticut  so  sa- 
cred in  the  eyes  of  our  grandfathers,  has  been  set 
aside  forever.  And  for  these  great  and  beneficent 
results  the  Separates  helped  prepare  the  way,  and 
may  be  justly  numbered  with  that  "  noble  army  of 
martyrs"  which  through  weary  ages  has  borne  aloft 
the  banner  and  shouted  the  battle-cry  of  religious 
freedom.  Those  New  Light  doctrines  and  principles 
that  seemed  at  first  so  pernicious  and  revolutionary, 
slowly  working  their  way  into  Christian  conscious- 
ness, became  the  prevailing  theology  of  the  succeed- 
ing generation.  The  familiar  religious  conference 
and  lay  exhortation,  which  brought  the  Separates 
fine  and  imprisonment,  has  long  been  recognized  as 
one  of  the  most  potent  forces  in  the  up-building  and 


50  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

strengtheniDg  of  the  church.  And  even  "the  ac- 
cursed practise  "  of  allowing  women  to  speak  in  pub- 
lic, for  which  the  Separates  were  severely  reprobated, 
is  becoming  a  marvelous  factor  in  the  evangelization 
and  illumination  of  the  world. 

We  have  lost  sight  for  a  time  of  the  chief  leader  in 
this  movement — the  Canterbury  lawyer,  so  active  and 
influential  in  its  development.  Unlike  most  of  his 
contemporaries,  he  lived  to  witness  the  apparent  fail- 
ure of  his  mission.  As  Separate  churches  died  out 
and  his  services  were  less  demanded,  he  accepted  the 
pastorate  of  a  New  Light  church  at  Bridgehampton, 
L.  I.,  and  i^assed  the  evening  of  his  days  in  quietly 
administering  to  their  needs.  However  great  his  dis- 
appointment, it  made  no  change  in  his  convictions  or 
temper.  The  faith  that  gave  him  such  "  sweet  con- 
tentment" when  confined  in  jail  for  preaching  the 
Gospel  he  so  much  loved,  kept  his  soul  in  perfect 
peace.  The  diary  of  his  former  adversary,  Rev. 
James  Cogswell,  gives  us  a  glimpse  of  him  in  his 
farewell  visit  to  his  native  town  as  late  as  1769.  He 
sent  for  Mr.  Cogswell  to  come  and  hear  him  preach 
and  returned  his  visit.  They  "  discoursed  in  a  friendly 
manner."  Mr.  Cogswell  took  "  the  old  gentleman  " 
to  task  for  "meddling  with  Connecticut  establish- 
ment "  and  "  his  notion  of  saving  faith  consisting  in 
assurance."  Mr.  Paine  maintained  his  own  views, 
but  "  with  a  pleasant  countenance,"  and  temper  free 


SPENT    LIGHTS.  51 

from  bitterness  and  severity.  A  reformer  without  ar- 
rogance, a  Separate  without  bigotry  or  uncharitable- 
ness,  he  stood  far  in  advance  of  his  generation,  and 
the  light  of  his  teaching  and  example  long  lingered 
in  Christian  hearts.  Elisha  Paine  died  in  Bridge- 
hampton  in  1775,  in  his  eighty-fourth  year,  having 
preached  to  his  beloved  flock  till  within  fifteen  days 
of  his  decease. 


II. 


WINDHA.M  COUNTY  WOMEN  OF  OLDEN 
TIME.^ 

Our  scant  kuowledg'e  of  early  New  Eugland  women 
is  much  to  be  reg-retted.  While  the  deeds  and  lives 
of  the  Pilgrim  fathers  have  been  depicted  for  us  in 
great  variety  of  form,  the  Pilgrim  mothers  remain 
mostly  in  shadow.  And  as  the  sons  of  the  first  emi- 
grants went  out  into  the  wilderness  to  build  up  other 
homes  and  settlements,  the  daughters  are  even  more 
in  abeyance.  AYe  learn  by  the  self-sacrifice  of  Lady 
Arabella  Johnson,  the  exquisite  letters  of  Margaret 
Winthrop,  something  of  the  character  and  tone  of 
those  women  who  followed  their  husbands  over  the 
ocean.  But  of  the  great  majority  of  those  who  helped 
build  up  thousands  of  homes  in  the  waste  places  of 
New  England  we  know  comparatively  nothing. 

"  Their  name,  their  years,  spelt  by  the  unlettered 
muse,"  the  date  of  birth,  marriage,  death,  and  birth 
of  children,  is  all  that  has  been  left  us.  And  yet  we 
know  that  these  mothers,  wives,  and  daughters  bore 
their  full  share  in  laying  these  foundations,  and  suf- 
fered even  greater  hardships  and  iDrivations. 

*  Published  in  '^  The  Plainfield  Graphic." 


WINDHAM  COUNTY  WOMEN  OF  OLDEN  TIME.     53 

The  first  woman  within  Windham  county  territory 
of  whom  we  know  anythino'  more  than  the  above 
data  is  Mrs.    Abigail   Bartholomew,  second  wife  of 
Samuel  Paine.    After  the  Woodstock  colony  had  got- 
ten in  their  first  plantings  of  corn  in  the  snmmer  of 
1686,  they  looked  about  for  a  miller,  and  invited  Wil- 
liam Bartholomew  of  Branford  to  fill  this  important 
office.     This  stalwart  pioneer  had  passed  through  a 
number  of  exciting  experiences,  and  while  living  in 
Hatfield  in  1677  had  suffered  the  horrors  of  Indian 
invasion,  and  saw  his  young  daughter  Abigail,  then 
five  years  old,  carried  away  captive.     The  story  of 
capture,  suffering,  and  escape  was  still  fresh  in  mem- 
oiy,  when,  ten  years  later,  she  came  with  her  father's 
family  to  take  up  her  abode  in  the  plantation  of  New 
Koxbury.     It  was  the  year  after  the  close  of  King 
Philip's  war,  when  there  was  less  thought  of  immedi- 
ate danger.     At  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning 
when  most  of  the  men  were  at  work  in  the  fields,  the 
savages  burst  in  upon  the  settlement,  killed  twelve 
persons,  wounded  five,  set  all  the  houses  on  fire,  and 
with  seventeen  prisoners,  beat  a  hasty  retreat.     All 
but  five  of  the  captives  were  women  and  children. 
One  man  escaped  to  report  their  probable  destruction^ 
All  attempts  at  negotiation  were  foiled.     The  little 
party  was  hurried   on   over   the  bleak  country,  up 
rivers  and  lake,  arriving  at  Canada  in  wintry  weather, 
They  were  the  first  New  England  captives  who  had 


54  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

been  forced  to  travel  throng-li  this  dreary  wilderness. 
Two  of  the  hnsbands  of  the  captured  women  imme- 
diately bestirred  themselves  to  procure  their  release. 
Obtaining  a  commission  from  the  government  of 
Massachusetts  and  tardy  help  from  New  York,  they 
toiled  northward,  mostly  by  water,  carrying  their 
canoes  upon  their  backs  from  Lake  George  to  Lake 
Champlain.  On  January  fi,  1678,  they  reached  Cham- 
blee,  and  found  the  prisoners  at  Sorell  and  vicinity. 
They  then  went  on  to  Quebec,  where  they  were  civilly 
entertained  by  the  French  Governor,  terms  of  re- 
demption agreed  upon,  and  a  guard  allowed  them  to 
Albany.  On  April  19  they  started  on  their  return 
journey.  Arriving  at  Albany  May  22,  they  sent  mes- 
sages to  those  "loving  friends  and  kindred  at  Hat- 
field," who  for  seven  anxious  months  had  wearily 
waited  for  tidings : 

"  These  few  lines  are  to  let  you  understand  that  we  are  arrived 
at  Albany  now  with  the  captives,  and  we  now  stand  in  need  of 
assistance,  for  my  charges  are  very  great  and  heavy  ;  and,  there- 
fore, any  that  have  any  love  to  our  condition,  let  it  move  them 
to  come  and  help  us  in  this  strait.  Three  of  the  captives  are 
murdered,  old  goodman  Plympton,  Samuel  Russell,  Samuel 
Foot's  daughter.  All  the  rest  are  alive  and  well,  namely,  Obadiah 
Dickinson  and  his  child,  Mary  Foot  and  her  child,  Hannah  Jen- 
nings and  three  children,  Abagail  Allis,  Abigail  Bartholomew, 
goodman  Coleman's  children,  Samuel  Kellogg,  my  wife  and  four 
children,  and  Quintiu  Stockwell.  I  pray  you  hasten  the  matter, 
for  it  requires  great  haste.     Stay  not  for  the  Sabbath,  not  shoeing 


WINDHAM  COUNTY  WOMEN  OF  0LDP:N  TIME.     55 

of  horses.     We  shall   endeavor   to   meet  you   at  Kinderhawk. 
Bring  provisions  with  you  for  us. 

Your  loving  kinsman, 

Benjamin  Waite." 

As  soon  as  possible  a  company  was  fitted  out  to 
meet  them  as  arranged.  Tliey  rode  tlirough  the 
Avoods  to  Westfield  and  soon  all  reached  home  in 
safety — the  day  of  their  arrival  the  most  joyful  day 
that  Hatfield  had  ever  known.  The  ransom  of  the 
captives  cost  about  two  hundred  pounds,  which  was 
gathered  by  contributions  carried  forward  by  "the 
pious  charity  of  the  elders,  ministers  and  congrega- 
tions of  the  several  towns."  A  daughter  of  Mrs. 
Jennings,  born  in  Canada,  was  named  Captivit^^ 

We  may  well  believe  that  the  presence  in  Wood- 
stock of  a  young  woman  who  had  passed  through 
such  an  experience  would  excite  great  interest. 
Indian  alarms  were  frequent  in  those  days.  Again 
and  again  the  aDxious  inhabitants  were  forced  to  re- 
pair to  the  carefully-guarded  garrisons.  A  trembling 
fugitive,  whose  husband  and  children  had  been 
butchered  upon  their  own  hearth-stone,  brought  the 
news  of  the  terrible  massacre  at  Oxford.  And  all 
through  these  troubled  years  otir  Abigail  served  as  a 
perpetual  object  lessou,  showing  to  mothers  and 
children  the  reality  of  the  peril  that  threatened  them.^ 
She  married  first,  Joseph  Frizzel,  and  later,  Samuel 
Paine,  and  lived  to  repeat   to   many  children    and 


5t)  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

grandcLiildren  the  story  of  her  marvelous  captivity 
aud  escape. 

Mrs.  Esther  Grosveiior,  of  Pomfret,  comes  down  to 
us  as  a  very  distinct  personality.  Her  husband,  Mr. 
John  Grosvenor,  having  died  soon  after  completing 
negotiations  for  the  Mashamoquet  Purchase,  Mrs. 
Grosvenor  was  much  more  concerned  with  business 
interests  than  most  women  of  her  day.  Her  name 
stands  first  upon  the  list  of  those  receiving  allotments 
of  the  Purchase,  and  she  w^as  naturally  very  promi- 
nent in  division  and  distribution  of  the  large  estate. 
Born  in  England,  she  brought  with  her  strength  of 
constitution  and  dignity  of  character.  A  trouble- 
some squaw  once  invaded  her  kitchen,  demanding 
immediate  supply  of  food,  and  even  attempting  to 
snatch  the  boiling  meat  from  the  kettle.  Mrs.  Gros- 
venor held  her  back  with  her  broomstick  till  her  son 
Ebenezer  came  to  the  rescue  with  more  effective 
weapon.  Like  other  women  of  superior  station  she 
was  very  helpful  in  care  of  the  sick,  and  was  viewed 
as  a  mother  by  the  whole  community.  She  retained 
to  old  age  her  vigor  and  habit  of  authority,  and  in- 
sisted upon  walking  to  attend  church  service  till  within 
a  short  time  of  her  decease. 

In  striking  contrast  with  this  "  Colonial  dame  "  is 
the  first  woman  whose  voice  comes  down  to  us  from 
Brooklyn.  A  beautiful  tract  of  land  directly  south 
of  Mashamoquet  was  purchased  by  Sir  John  Black- 


WIxNDHAM  COUNTY  WOMEN  OF  OLDEN  TIME. 


Di 


well  in  1686,  as  agent  in  behalf  of  a  number  of  Eng- 
lish and  Irish  Dissenters,  with  expectation  of  founding 
a  colony  npon  it.     Capt.  Blackwell  also  received  from 
Connecticut  a  grant  for  a  township,  including  his 
purchase,  which  was  to  be  laid  out  as  a  separate  town 
or  manor,  by  the  name  of  Mortlake.     King  William's 
accession  in  1688,  and  the  religious  privileges  now 
granted  in  Great  Britain  frustrated  all  these  plans. 
Blackwell  returned  to  England,  and  his  purchase  was 
left  neglected  till  after  his  death  in  1713  his  son  con- 
veyed it  to  Jonathan  Belcher,  of  Boston,  who  entrusted 
Capt.  John  Chandler,  of  Woodstock,  with  its  survey 
and  division.     The  tract  was  still  in  native  wildness, 
save  for  one  small  clearing  taken  up  by  a  squatter, 
Jabez  Utter.     To  him  Chandler  granted  at  first  a 
deed  of  the  premises  for  his  labor  and  expense  "  in 
building,  fencing,  clearing,  breaking  up,  improving 
and  subduing  "  the  same.     The  probable  reason  why 
this  bargain  was  not  carried  out,  and  for  the  non-ap- 
pearance of   Jabez  in  the  subsequent   expulsion   is 
found  in  New  London  court  records,  wherein  at  just 
this  date  we  find  him  arraigned  for  horse  stealing, 
and  sentenced  to  return  the  horse  and  pay  the  plain- 
tiff ten  pounds,  also  to  pay  the  County  Treasury  forty 
shillings,  or  be  whipped  ten  stripes  on  his  naked 

body,  etc. 

Mary,  the  wife  of  Jabez,  was  a  woman  of  spirit, 
and  held  on  to  her  home  with  a  woman's  tenacity. 


58  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

When  the  sheriff  came  to  demand  possession  of  the 
premises,  she  barricaded  doors  and  windows  and 
held  on.  All  efforts  failing  to  move  her,  young  John 
Chandler  was  sent  to  effect  ejection.  The  story  of 
the  siege  is  told  by  Mary  herself  in  very  vigorous 
English.  She  gives  the  names  of  some  twelve  or  fif- 
teen young  fellows  from  the  neighboring  towns  who 
aided  in  the  raid,  bringing  with  them  drums,  clubs, 
axes,  and  all  needful  implements.  Upon  her  utter 
refusal  to  grant  possession  they  proceeded  to  tear 
down  her  fences,  batter  the  house  with  stones  and 
clubs,  set  up  ensigns  of  divers  colors,  drink  to  the 
health  of  King  James,  committing,  she  says,  "Many 
high  and  heinous  enormities,  treasons,  profanities, 
and  grievous  wickedness."  After  carousing  all  day 
they  had  an  interval  of  quiet  till  towards  morning, 
when  "  they  revived  their  noise,  marching  round  the 
house,  beating  drums,  and  singing  psalm  tunes,"  per- 
haps imitating  the  siege  of  Jericho,  and  then  young 
Chandler  made  proclamation  :  "  Now  we  have  got- 
ten the  victory ;  now  the  day  is  ours,"  and  raising 
poles  against  the  house,  three  of  the  leaders  vaulted 
upon  the  roof,  came  down  through  the  chimney, 
opened  the  door  and  let  in  the  sheriff'.  Even  then 
the  resolute  mistress  refused  to  yield  possession,  and 
had  to  be  violently  dragged  out  and  flung  down  back- 
ward out  of  the  door ;  but  at  last,  late  in  the  after- 
noon, "  they  drove  me  away  from  my  home  and  drove 


WINDHAM  COUNTY  WOMEN  OF  OLDEN  TIME.     59 

my  children  with  me  into  the  wilderness,  and  set  a 
guard  about  me,  and  left  us  there  to  perish  without 
any  shelter  but  the  Heavens,"— but  still  with  life 
enough  to  make  her  way  to  a  justice,  and  make  piti- 
ful complaint  as  "his  Majesty's  distressed,  forlorn 
subject."  Certainly  no  modern  Brooklyn  matron 
could  use  her  tongue  more  effectively  than  this  first 
woman  resident. 

Some  pleasant  glimpses  of  early  home  life  in  Wind- 
ham county  come  to  us  from  the  diary  of  Mrs.  Me- 
hitabel  Chandler  Coit,  of  New  London,  whose  hus- 
band, Thomas  Coit,  was  brother  of  Plainfield's  first 
minister,  Eev.  Joseph  Coit. 

sShe  Avrites  : 

"  June  18,  1707.  My  husbaud  and  sister  Sarah  and  I  went  to 
Stonington,  and  brother  Joseph  Coit  was  married  to  Experience 
Wheeler.     June  21.     We  came  home  again." 

Mrs.  Coit  was  the  sister  of  Capt.  John  Chandler, 
of  Woodstock,  daughter  of  Dea.  John  Chandler. 
When  fifteen  years  of  age  she  notes  : 

"  May  31,  1688.  My  father,  with  his  family,  went  to  live  att 
New  Roxbury,  afterwards  called  Woodstock.  Feb.  8,  1689. 
Hannah  Gary  born,  the  first  child  that  was  born  in  Woodstock. 
April  18.  The  Revolution  at  Boston.  June  25,  1695.  We  were 
married." 

This  diary  was  maintained  through  life,  and  while 
noting  prominent  events,  and  the  business  ventures 


60  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

of  her  husband — a  pioneer  ship -builder — it  is  mainly 
taken  up  with  domestic  details,  the  birth  of  her  six 
children  and  childhood  mishaps : 

"  June  14,  1706.  Billy  Coit  fell  into  the  cove  and  was  almost 
drownded.  March  10,  1708.  Martha  Coit's  foot  burnt  with  a 
warming  pan.  April  29.  A  plank  fell  off  the  stage  upon  Thomas 
Coit  and  struck  him  down  but  gott  no  grate  mater  of  hurt.  Aug. 
12.  Mr.  Vrylaud's  vessell  was  burnt  upon  the  stocks,  and  John 
Coit's  foot  was  burnt." 

A  visit  at  Woodstock  in  1726  gives  us  a  peep  into 
inside  life  ;  those  minor  domestic  details  left  out  from 
general  history,  and,  therefore,  all  the  more  valuable  : 

"  May  19.  I  set  out  to  go  to  Woodstock,  and  before  we  got  to 
Bowlses  it  rained  a  smart  shower  and  we  fain  to  go  in  there  for 
shelter.  When  the  shower  was  a  little  over  we  sat  out  again  got 
to  Norwich,  stayed  at  Lathrops  that  night  and  had  fryed  veal  for 
supper.  Friday  we  dined  at  Cady's  and  had  beef  and  pork  and 
herbs  ;  began  to  be  very  weary.  I  rid  behind  Sam  Morris  most  of 
the  way  ;  got  to  W.  a  little  before  night,  almost  tired  to  death. 
Sabbath  day.  Went  to  meeting  ;  come  home  very  weary.  22. 
Half  dead  still  but  went  to  brother  Josephs  a  foot  (just  over  the 
line  in  Pomfret).  23.  Came  back  again  ;  made  seven  calls  on 
the  way  and  so  to  brothers  very  weary  (Capt.  John  Chandler's, 
South  Woodstock).  24.  Election  day  :— We  went  up  to  town  ; 
see  trayning  ;  went  to  dinner  at  Coz.  Johns,  Billy  and  his  wife 
there  too  ;  sister,  cousin  Hannah,  Coz.  Billy's  wife  and  I  called 
at  James  Corbin's,  Mr.  Dwights,  Jas.  Bacons,  Jabez  Corbin's, 
Dea.  Morris's  and  Mr.  Carpenters  and  so  home  ;  same  day  com- 
ing home  sister  fell  down  and  brake  her  arm  ;  they  sent  for  Parker 


WINDHAM  COUNTY  WOMEN  OF  OLDEN  TIME.     T)  1 

(Dr.  Morse)  to  set  it.  25.  Rainy  weather ;  I  went  to  Mrs. 
Holmes'  ;  she  is  not  married  yet;  at  night  Mr.  Dwight  and  his 
wife  and  Mr.  Morris  here  to  see  us  ;  sister  very  bad  with  her 
arm.  26.  A  bright,  charming  morning  ;  in  the  forenoon  I  read 
in  the  Turkish  history  ;  p.  m.,  brother,  Coz.  Hannali  and  I  went 
to  Sam  Morrises'  (New  Boston),  had  trout ;  to  Coz.  Billy's,  and 
drank  syllibub  ;  came  home  wery  and  dull  ;  a  pain  in  my  face  ; 
I  hate  to  ride  ;  the  horse  started  three  or  four  times  ;  I  wisht  to 
be  at  home.  28.  I  went  to  meeting  on  foot ;  the  text :  "  Happy 
are  the  people  that  are  in  such  a  case  "  (I  could  not  think  myself 
happy  if  I  was  in  Ms  jjeople's  case).  29.  Brother  John  went 
with  me  to  West  Hill ;  we  went  to  Marcy's,  Paysons,  Coy's  and 
Wrighls.  30.  I  set  out  to  come  home  ;  brother  Chandler  came 
with  me  as  far  as  change  ;  brother  Joseph  came  with  me  as  far 
a&^Plainfield,  there  we  met  sister  Abigail  Coit ;  we  went  to  din- 
ner'there,  stayed  an  hour  or  two,  then  set  out  for  Norwich  ; 
brother  Coit  came  with  us  as  far  as  Quinnebaugs  ;  then  we  came 
over  in  a  cannow  ;  we  sail  over  Shituckett  alone  ;  came  to  Nor- 
wich about  dark  ;  lodged  at  Lathrops.  31.  Got  home  about  10 
o'clock,  not  very  wery  ;  found  all  well  except  the  garding,  and 
this  was  overrun  with  weeds  ;  so  much  for  Woodstock." 

To  tliose  familiar  with  the  Woodstock  of  that  date, 
this  g-ives  a  very  pleasant  picture,  narQiug-  al]  the  old 
families  and  showing-  the  neighborly  intercourse  that 
existed.  Unpleasantness  then  rapidly  culminating- 
between  Rev.  Josiah  Dwig-ht  and  his  people  called 
out  Mrs.  Coit's  disparaging-  comment.  "  Coz.  John  " 
was  the  youth  who  figured  in  the  expulsion  of  Mary 
Utter.  The  wife  of  "  Cousin  Billy,"  then  newly  mar- 
ried, Jemima  Bradbury,  was  a  lineal  descendant  of 


()2  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

Massachusetts  Wiuthrops  and  Dudleys,  and  one  of 
the  most  cultured  women  of  her  time,  especially 
noted  for  her  interest  in  natural  science. 

Few  lives  have  more  of  the  element  of  tragic  ro- 
mance than  that  of  the  pioneer  woman  of  South 
Killing-ly,  Mrs.  Hannah  (Wilson)  Spalding.  Her 
husband,  Jacob  Spalding,  of  Plainfield,  inherited  a 
right  on  the  Owaneco  Purchase,  and  was  the  first  to 
take  possession  of  a  Killingl}^  section.  His  adven- 
tures and  exploits  in  connection  with  the  Indians  are 
well  known.  Mrs.  Spalding's  prowess  in  routing  a 
noisy  band  attempting  to  force  their  way  through  the 
window,  by  striking  the  leader  on  the  mouth  with  an 
enormous  beef-bone,  is  handed  down  by  admiring  de- 
scendants. Jacob  Spalding  was  killed  instantly — 
thrown  from  his  cart  on  Black  Hill — leaving  his 
widow  and  two  children  in  comfortable  circumstances. 
Mrs.  Spalding  was  an  unusually  attractive  person,  of 
fine  presence  and  character.  To  the  great  disgust  of 
friends  and  relatives  she  gave  her  hand  in  a  few  years 
to  an  adventurer,  who  had  figured  among  the  Scotch 
settlers  of  Yoluntown,  under  the  name  of  Girk.  To 
Mrs.  Spalding  he  confided  that  his  real  name  was 
Edward  Stuart ;  that  he  was  a  lineal  descendant  of 
the  royal  line,  sharing  the  exile  of  the  banished  King. 
His  appearance  and  manners  confirmed  this  story, 
Avhich  was  also  vouched  for  by  Eev.  Samuel  Dorrance 
and   other  prominent  settlers   of  Yoluntown.     Mr. 


WINDHAM  COUNTY  WOMEN  OF  OLDEN  TIME.     63 

Dorrance  performed  the  marriage  ceremony,  and 
Edward  Stuart  reigned  in  the  Spalding  mansion. 
There  was  much  talk  among  the  neighbors  of  his 
fine  clothes  and  lordly  air.  His  linen  was  so  fine 
that  it  could  be  drawn  through  a  ring;  his  gilded 
rapier  was  of  as'tonishing  beauty  and  workmanship. 
He  spoke  French  with  great  fluency,  and  had  great 
skill  in  fencing.  The  only  child  of  this  marriage 
was  a  daughter,  named  Mary  in  honor  of  the  ill-fated 
Queen.  Soon  after  her  birth,  Stuart  went  abroad  for 
a  year,  in  which  he  was  supposed  to  have  taken  a 
part  in  uprisings  in  England.  After  his  return  he 
IDersuaded  his  wife  to  sell  the  farm  she  held  in  her 
own  right,  and  with  the  proceeds  prepared  for  another 
venture.  His  proceedings  w^ere  at  this  time  con- 
sidered so  suspicious  that  he  was  forbidden  by  the 
town  to  harbor  "  one  Sherrod,"  and  for  several  days 
before  his  fiaal  departure  he  maintained  "a  guarded 
secrecy,"  and  then  stole  aAvay  by  night.  From  Balti- 
more he  wrote  to  his  wife  that  he  was  about  to  make 
one  more  effort  to  retrieve  his  fortunes  and  whatever 
he  might  gain  "it  would  not  be  too  good  to  share 
with  her."  This  was  the  last  ever  heard  of  Edward 
Stuart.  The  date  of  his  disappearance  tallies  re- 
markably with  that  of  the  first  concerted  attempt  by 
Charles  Edward  to  regain  the  throne  of  Britain. 
Yery  extensive  preparations  had  been  made  for  this 
invasion,  but  a  «Teat  storm  scattei'ed  the  fleet  and 


64:  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

wrought  great  destruction  in  life  and  i^roperty.  If 
Edward  Stuart  w^as  what  he  claimed  to  be,  he  met 
the  fate  of  many  of  his  associates. 

Mrs.  Stuart  survived  but  a  few  months.  Her  health 
had  been  greatly  affected  by  the  talk  and  suspicion 
of  her  kindred  and  neighbors,  and  the  estrangement 
and  opposition  of  her  children.  Mary  Stuart  grew 
up  a  beautiful  girl,  strongly  resembling  her  father  in 
manner  and  personal  apjoearance,  but  the  Stuart 
destiny  pursued  her.  The  farm  that  would  have 
come  to  her  having  been  pre-empted  by  her  father, 
she  was  forced  through  life  to  struggle  with  poverty. 
Marrying  when  young,  William  Earl,  of  Brooklyn, 
their  home  and  its  contents  Avere  destroyed  by  fire  in 
the  middle  of  a  winter  night,  the  family  barely  es- 
caping with  their  lives,  wading  barefoot  through  deep 
snow.  Hoping  to  repair  this  loss,  Mr.  Earl  enlisted 
in  the  unfortunate  expedition  to  Havana,  and  died  of 
yellow  fever.  Mary  supported  herself  and  her  two 
sons  till  her  marriage  with  a  young  carpenter,  David 
Dodge,  and  then  enjoyed  a  few  years  of  comparative 
comfort  and  happiness.  But  with  the  Revolutionary 
War  new  trials  came.  Her  two  Earl  boys,  fine, 
spirited  youDg  men,  were  early  induced  to  enlist,  and 
both  died  of  exposure  and  disease.  Mr.  Dodge  sunk 
all  his  property  in  the  manufacture  of  Continental 
wagons  ;  Mary  Stuart's  health  and  nerves  were  com- 
pletely shattered  by  all  that  she  had  passed  through. 


WINDHAM  COUNTY  WOMEN  OF  OLDEN  TIME.     65 

and  lier  remaming-  days  Avere  clouded  by  sickness 
and  poverty.  The  children  of  her  second  marriage 
were  a  comfort  and  support.  Her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Sprague,  of  Hampton,  was  a  woman  of  unusual  char- 
acter and  piety,  and  her  son,  David  L.  Dodge,  after 
a  manly  strug-gle,  succeeding  in  founding  that  mer- 
cantile house  in  New  York,  still  represented  by  his 
grandson,  William  E.  Dodge. 

Among  the  second  generation  of  Windham  women, 
those  born  and  reared  within  the  county,  none  have 
left  a  more  precious  record  than  Mary  AVhiting, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel  Whiting,  of  Windham. 
Marrying  the  successor  of  her  father  in  the  ministry. 
Rev.  Thomas  Clap,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  she  proved 
more  than  equal  to  the  position,  lovely  alike  in  person 
and  character.  Her  early  death  deepened  the  im- 
pression made  by  her.  More  than  thirty  years  after 
her  decease.  Dr.  Daggett  writes : 

"  Slie  had  a  beautiful  aud  pleasant  countenance  ;  was  a  woman 
of  great  prudence  and  discretion  in  the  conduct  of  herself  and 
all  her  affairs  ;  was  diligent,  and  always  endeavored  to  make  the 
best  of  what  she  had  ;  the  heart  of  her  husband  could  safely 
trust  in  her.  She  was  kind  and  compassionate  to  the  poor  and 
all  in  distress.  She  was  adorned  with  an  excellent  spirit  of 
humility  and  meekness  ;  did  not  affect  to  put  herself  forward  in 
conversation,  but  chose  to  speak  discreetly  rather  than  much, 
but  was  always  free,  pleasant  and  cheerful  in  conversation  with 
every  one.  She  exceeded  in  a  most  serene,  pleasant  temper  and 
disposition  of  mind,  which  rendered  her  very  agreeable  to  her 
6* 


66  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

husband  and  all  her  acquaiutance  ;  and  though  he  lived  with  her 
almost  nine  years  in  the  connubial  state,  yet  he  never  once  saw 
her  in  any  unpleasant  temper,  neither  did  one  unpleasant  word 
pass  between  them  on  any  occasion  whatsoever." 

The  timeworn  gravestoDe  still  bears  record  :  "  She 
was  of  a  most  amiable  disposition,  the  delight  and 
crown  of  her  husband,  an  ornament  to  her  sex  and 
pattern  of  every  grace  and  yirtne.  She  for  a  long 
time  expected  death  with  a  calmness  and  serenity  of 
mind,  and  met  it  with  great  joy  and  satisfaction.  She 
lived  greatly  desired,  and  died  universally  respected, 
Aug.  10,  1736,  in  the  24th  year  of  her  age." 

Many  of  the  earlj^  women  of  Windham  county  far 
exceeded  modern  practitioners  in  the  extent  and  va- 
riety of  their  medical  practice,  though  experience 
with  them  took  the  place  of  training  and  diploma. 
Mrs.  Hannah  Bradford,  of  Windham,  was  one  always 
ready  to  meet  the  call  of  sickness  and  suffering. 
The  Mrs.  Holmes  (of  Woodstock)  whom  Mrs.  Coit 
reports  as  "  not  married  yet,"  did  in  time  select  for 
her  second  husband  Mr.  Edmonds  of  Dudley.  Pre- 
vious to  this  marriage  she  had  devoted  herself  to 
nursing, audit  is  said  that  in  "  the  great  snowstorm" 
of  1749  her  services  were  in  such  demand  that  she 
was  taken  out  of  a  chamber  window  and  carried 
through  the  drifts  many  miles  to  distressed  patients. 

Another  woman  very  widely  known  as  midwife, 
nurse  and  physician,  was  Mrs  Anne  (Woodcock)  Ea- 


WINDHAM  COUNTY  WOMEN  OF  OLDEN  TIME.     67 

ton  of  Asliford,  whose  practice  rivalled  iu  extent  the 
most  popular  i^hysicians  of  onr  day.  It  is  said  that 
during  the  prevalence  of  a  spotted  fever  she  was 
scarcely  off  her  rounds,  day  or  night,  riding  up  occa- 
sionally to  her  own  doorstep,  inquiring  for  the  health 
of  her  own  family,  snatching  a  bit  of  food  and  hur- 
rying off  again. 

During  the  "Great  Revival"  of  1740,  women  came 
decidedly  to  the  front  in  the  separation  from  the 
stated  churches.  Their  varied  and  incisive  excuses 
for  refusing  to  attend  worship  at  the  town  meeting- 
house and  withdrawal  from  church,  show  great  fer- 
tility of  invention  as  well  as  devotion  to  principle. 
Some  of  them  even  went  such  lengths  as  to  indulge 
in  Avhat  was  called  by  a  Separate  brother  "  the 
cussed  practice  of  women  speaking  in  public." 

Probably  no  woman  in  the  county  was  so  widely 
known  in  her  day  as  Mercy  Wheeler  of  Plainfield,  in 
connection  with  her  veiy  remarkable  "  faith  cure." 
Few  cases  of  this  kind  are  so  well  attested,  or  re- 
ported with  such  ininutup  of  process.  She  was  a 
respectable  young  woman  of  good  family,  and  her 
disabled  and  suffering  condition  was  perfectly  Avell 
known  to  the  townspeople.  For  a  number  of  years 
she  seemed  to  have  lost  the  use  of  the  lower  part  of 
her  body — her  ankle  bones  "  loose  and  separate  so 
that  a  string  was  needful  to  keep  her  feet  in  proper 
position,"  and  the  power  of  speech  had  been  at  times 


€8  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

taken  from  her.  Her  mind  during  this  period  had 
remained  clear  and  tranquil  and  especially  open  to 
religious  impressions.  The  revival  of  religion,  for 
which  she  had  longed  and  prayed,  was  a  source  of 
great  joy  to  her.  Hearing  of  the  wonderful  things 
done  throughout  the  land  she  queried  in  her  own 
mind  whether  the  Lord  would  not  send  deliverance 
to  her,  and  awaited  a  meeting  to  be  held  in  her  own 
house,  with  trembling  hope.  But  when,  after  the 
services  of  prayer  and  preaching  no  change  came,  a 
cloud  of  darkness  came  over  her  till  the  Avord  of 
God  came  to  her  with  such  force — "If  thou  wilt  be- 
lieve thou  shalt  see  the  glory  of  God  now  " — that  she 
seemed  to  go  out  of  herself  and  all  human  agency, 
into  the  hands  of  God  alone.  At  that  instant  a  thrill 
passed  through  her  frame — "  a  racking,  a  working  in 
every  joint,  as  if  she  were  with  hands  drawn  and  com- 
pressed together,"  and  then  to  the  utter  amazement 
of  minister  and  people,  who  had  known  nothing  of 
the  exercises  of  her  mind,  the  bedridden  woman,  who 
for  sixteen  years  had  not  stood  upon  her  feet,  walked 
up  and  down  the  room,  crying  "  Bless  the  Lord  Jesus 
Avho  has  healed  me." 

The  cure  so  suddenly  effected  was  permanent. 
Hundreds  of  people  who  had  seen  the  crippled  in- 
valid now  testified  to  the  completeness  of  her  cure. 
The  next  Sabbath  she  rode  three  miles  to  the  house 
of  worship,  and  thenceforth  was  able  to  engage  in  all 


AYINDHAM  COUNTY  AVOMEN  OF  OLDEX  TIME.     B9 

the  ordinary  duties  of   life.     This   wonderful  story 
made  a  great  impression  at  tlie  time  throughout  the 
Colony.^  Dr.  Benjamin  Lord,  of  Norwich,  was  espe- 
cially interested  in  the  case  and  published  his  sermon 
preached  at  a  special  service  of  thanksgiving  held  in 
Plainfield,  with  affidavits  from  well-known  residents 
as  to  Mercy's  previous  and  present  condition.     This 
pamphlet  passed  through  several  editions  and  was 
widely  circulated  at  home  and  abroad,  even  exciting 
interest  and  attention  among  Christians  in  England. 
All  this  notice  and  notoriety  had  no  effect  upon  the 
simple,  humble-minded  Mercy,  who  proved  the  reahty 
of  her  religion  by  faithful  performance  of  everyday 
duties—"  a  living  example  of  faith,  fortitude,  love, 
and  unshaken  constancy  in  rehgion." 

These  are  specimens  of  those  early  women  resi- 
dents of  Windham  county  whose  names  and  acts 
have  come  down  to  us.  Many  more  equally  worthy 
of  notice  are  lost  to  sight  and  memory. 


III. 

OTHER  LIGHTS. 

In  connection  with  the  revolutionary  struggle 
Windham  county  men  came  into  prominence  in  coun- 
cil and  field,  whose  names  are  enshrined  among  those 
which  the  nation  delighteth  to  honor.  Our  Trum- 
bulls,  Putnam,  Knowlton,  Grosvenors,  McClellan,  and 
many  lesser  lights,  are  held  in  grateful  remembrance 
as  those  who  bore  a  most  honorable  and  helpful  part 
in  establishing  our  national  independence.  But  dur- 
ing this  same  period  there  were  others,  useful  and 
honored  in  their  own  callings,  whose  names  have 
passed  into  oblivion. 

A  very  conspicuous  instance  of  this  failure  to  gain 
a  place  in  history  and  remembrance  of  one  very 
noted  in  his  own  generation,  is  that  of  Eev.  Joseph 
Howe,  the  beloved  and  popular  pastor  of  New  South 
Church,  Boston,  1773-1775.  One  letter  of  his  that 
has  come  down  to  us  gives  us  a  vivid  picture  of  Bos- 
ton under  the  administration  of  the  famous  Port  Bill : 

"  Aug.  2,  1774.  Boston  it  is  true  is  a  very  different  place  in 
some  respects  from  what  it  was  when  you  were  here  last.  Then, 
trade  flourished  ;  our  harbor  was  whitened  with  canvass  ;  our 
wharves  and  quays  resembled  a  forest — a  forest  I  mean  of  masts 


OTHER   LIGHTS.  71 

and  sail  yards  ;  and  our  common,  that  beautiful  lawn  to  the  west, 
was  made  more  beautiful  by  the  people  that  walked,  and  the 
herds  that  fed  on  it.  But  now  to  see  our  harbor  and  our  com- 
mon— how  different !  In  the  former  nothing  is  seen  but  armed 
ships  ;  in  the  latter  but  armed  men.  .  .  .  It  is  true  we  have 
not  yet  felt  the  force  of  either  the  one  or  the  other,  and  I  pray 
God  we  never  may.  But  yet  to  be  threatened  with  it — to  be  in- 
sulted in  various  ways  of  a  more  private  nature  ;  to  have  four 
regiments  of  troops  in  the  heart  of  a  large  town  ;  to  have  all 
these  evils  brought  upon  us  for  our  laudable  and  virtuous  strug- 
gles in  behalf  of  our  just  rights  and  liberties — is  certainly  to  a 
mind  of  the  least  feeling,  irritating  and  painful.  And  were  you 
to  come  to  Boston,  I  make  no  doubt  that  on  these  accounts  your 
visit  must  be  somewhat  disagreeable  to  you. 

However,  in  another  view,  these  very  evils  would  be  the 
means  of  affording  you  pleasure  ;  while  j^ou  saw  with  what 
calmness,  with  what  patience,  with  what  fortitude  and  firmness, 
with  what  persevering  prudence  and  spirit  the  people  endure 
them.  And  when  I  say  the  people,  I  say  all  but  a  few,  a  very 
few,  and  a  particular  class  of  men.  It  is  not  true  that  we  are 
much  divided.  The  Tories  made  their  grand  push  about  a 
month  ago.  And  what  was  the  effect  of  it  ?  Only  to  convince 
them  and  us  that  their  whole  number  consisted  of  only  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty  persons,  inclusive  of  some  who  have 
since  retracted.  The  Bostonians  acquire  courage  every  day. 
How  can  it  be  otherwise,  when  all  the  Continent  are  pitying  and 
supporting  them,  and,  above  all,  when  we  have  that  God  to  go 
to  who  heard  our  fathers  when  they  cried  unto  Him,  and  who 
we  trust  will  hear  us  also,  their  immediate  descendants." 

Joseph  Howe,  son  of  Eev.  Perley  and  Damaris 
(Cacly)   Howe,  was  born  in  Killingly,  Conn.,  1747, 


7-2  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

fitted  for  college  by  his  step-father,  Kev.  Aaron 
Brown ;  was  graduated  from  Yale  1765  as  the  vale- 
dictorian of  an  exceptionally  able  class.  His  towns- 
man, Manasseh  Cutler,  the  father  of  the  "North 
West  Ordinance,"  Theodore  Sedgwick,  Berkshire 
county,  Mass.,  judge  and  United  States  Senator,  and 
many  lesser  lights,  were  included  in  this  famous  class. 
Not  one  of  them  made  his  mark  in  the  world  so  early 
as  Joseph  Howe.  First  as  teacher  of  the  public 
school  at  Hartford,  then  the  most  important  educa- 
tional institution  of  the  kind  in  Connecticut,  he  won 
immediate  success  and  popularity.  Accepting  a 
tutorship  at  Yale  College,  "  his  literary  accomplish- 
ments, especially  his  remarkable  powers  of  elocution, 
not  less  than  his  fine  social  and  moral  qualities,  ren- 
dered him  a  general  favorite."  Through  his  instruc- 
tions the  standard  of  public  speaking  and  familiarity 
with  i^olite  literature  in  the  college  was  very  con- 
siderably elevated,  and  to  say  of  a  successor  that  he 
was  "  like  Tutor  Howe,"  was  the  maximum  of  praise. 
Though  frail  in  body  he  pursued  theological  studies 
during  his  tutorship,  and  prepared  to  enter  into  the 
ministry.  His  oratorical  powers  brought  him  at  once 
into  notice — his  exercises  in  the  pulpit  as  reported  by 
admirers  were  of  "  the  most  impressive  and  fascina- 
ting kind."  Wherever  he  went  hearts,  homes,  and 
pulpits  were  open  to  receive  him.  He  received  calls 
to  settlement  from  the  leading  churches  of  Connecti- 


OTHER    LIGHTS.  73 

cut,  iu  Hartford,  Norwich,  and  Wetliersfield.  Yisit- 
ing  Boston  for  Ins  liealtli,  he  preached  at  the  New 
South  Church,  and  was  invited  to  become  its  pastor 
upon  one  day's  hearing — the  church  giving  as  its 
ground  for  such  phenomenal  indiscretion — "  the  char- 
acter which  Mr.  Howe  had  received  from  the  voice  of 
mankind."  After  a  year's  delay  Mr.  Howe  w^as 
ordained  pastor  of  this  church  May  19,  1773,  Presi- 
dent Daggett  of  Yale  College  preaching  the  sermon, 
Dr.  Chauncey  of  the  First  Church,  Boston,  giving 
the  right  hand  of  fellowship.  In  this  brief  pastorate 
Mr.  Howe  fully  sustained  his  high  reputation.  The 
magnetic  charm  of  his  address  w^as  at  once  recog- 
nized. He  was  the  idol  of  the  hour,  the  popular 
preacher.     The  local  rhymster  sings  : 

''  At  New  South  now,  we'll  visit  Howe, 
A  Genius  it  is  said,  Sir  ; 
And  here  we'll  hail,  this  sou  of  Yale  ; 
There's  not  a  wiser  head,  Sir. 
May  his  fame  soar  like  one  of  yore 

Who  Cromwell's  court  did  grace 
A  better  man,  we  trow,  he  can 

See  Lord's  day  face  to  face." 

A  Boston  blue -stocking  reports  : 

"  He  in  refined,  pathetic  sermons  shone  ; 
His  diction  pure,  his  methods  all  his  own  ; 
While  his  melodious  voice  his  audience  blest 
And  roused  each  noble  passion  in  the  breast."" 


74  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

According-  to  Dr.  Spragiie  liis  mind  was  "  fitted 
perhaps  alike  for  rigid  and  profound  investigation  on 
the  one  hand,  and  for  the  imaginative  and  rhetorical 
on  the  other."  And  when  to  other  merits  was  added 
apparent  unconsciousness  of  his  great  attractions  and 
an  unusually  liberal  and  catholic  spirit,  it  is  not 
strange  that  he  inspired  enthusiastic  attachment. 

The  breaking  out  of  open  hostilities  closed  the 
churches  of  Boston  and  this  successful  ministry. 
Worn  out  with  labor  and  excitement,  Mr.  Howe  re- 
turned to  his  old  home  in  Connecticut,  and  after  visit- 
ing his  friends,  succumbed  to  complicated  disease, 
dying  in  Hartford,  August  25, 1775,  at  the  house  of  Rev. 
Elnathan  Whitman,  whose  daughter,  Elisabeth,  he  ex- 
pected to  marry.  Amid  all  the  stirring  events  of  that 
anxious  summer  his  death  made  a  deep  impression 
throughout  New  England.  An  elegy  composed  by 
his  Boston  admirer  depicts  in  deepest  shades  the 
funeral  solemnities : 

"The  fair  Eliza's  anguish  who  can  paint, 
Placed  near  the  corse  of  our  ascended  saint  : 
Though  his  blest  soul  ascends  the  upper  skies 
Her  gentle  bosom  heaves  with  tender  sighs." 

The  obituary  notice  in  the  "  Hartford  Courant," 
after  the  extravagantly  eulogistic  fashion  of  the  time, 
enshrines  Mr.  Howe  among  the  lights  and  benefac- 
tors of  the  world,  the  beauty  of  whose  mind  was 


OTHER   LIGHTS.  T5 

without  a  parallel ;  whose  life  was  a  treatise  of  ethics 
and  theology  ;  a  great  and  universal  genuis.  By  the 
generation  that  had  honored  him  his  memory  was 
fondly  cherished,  and  years  after  his  decease  he  was 
again  recalled  to  notice  as  the  model  hero  in  the  first 
pages  of  the  "Life  and  Letters  of  Eliza  Wharton." 
xlnd  after  all  these  eulogies  he  was  forg-otten ! 

"His  leaf  bud  perished  iu  the  greeu." 

No  reporter  was  there  to  note  down  even  a  frag- 
ment of  those  thrilling  discourses.  No  one  paused 
in  those  busy  years  to  compile  even  a  brief  biog- 
raphy of  the  popular  favorite,  and  so  he  slipped  from 
sight  and  memory.  In  our  modern  standard  "  Cyclo- 
paedia," of  America  Biography,  of  those  bearing  the 
honored  name  of  Fitch  there  are  fourteen  notices, 
but  never  a  "Major  James"  among  them.  There 
are  Paines,  small  and  great,  of  almost  endless  num- 
ber and  variety,  but  no  Rev.  Elisha ;  and  from  the 
brilliant  array  of  Howes  our  Joseph  is  excluded,  and 
by  a  remarkable  fatality  his  burial  place  at  Hartford 
is  unmarked  and  unknown. 

Quickly  occurring  losses  were  in  part  the  cause  of 
this  omission.  His  step-father  died  on  the  way  back 
from  his  funeral,  and  the  bereaved  wife  and  mother 
soon  followed,  and  amid  the  pressure  and  burdens 
of  Revolutionary  years  the  brother's  grave  was 
overlooked.     Sketches  in   "  Yale  Biographies "  and 


76  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

"  Sprague's  Annals  of  the  American  Pulpit,"  and  the 
obituary  notices  in  "The  Hartford  Courant,"  com- 
prise the  most  that  can  be  learned  of  one  who  held 
so  high  a  place  among  his  contemporaries,  perhaps 
the  most  brilhant  young  man  of  his  generation. 

In  reviewing  the  life  of  Joseph  Howe  Ave  are  struck 
with  the  praise  accorded  to  the  fine  manners  and  gra- 
cious bearing  of  this  young  minister  and  their  influ- 
ence upon  his  career.  Even  higher  praise  was  called 
out  in  the  case  of  his  townsmaiiL  and  classmate,  Ma- 
nasseli  Cutler,  whose  success  in  winning  the  favor 
and  votes  of  southern  chivalry  for  his  immortal  Or- 
dinance was  largely  attributed  to  their  admiration 
for  his  agreeable  manners,  excelling  any  previous 
specimens  from  New  England.  It  is  certainly  re- 
markable that  this  rough  old  border-town  of  Kil- 
lingly,  with  its  wrangles  and  diurch  feuds,  should 
send  out  such  gracious  and  elegant  young  men. 
Were  these  fine  manners  a  heritage  from  distant  an- 
cestry, a  residuum  of  that  rare  old  English  polish 
brought  over  by  the  better  class  of  our  first  settlers, 
and  taking  on  even  a  brighter  lustre  in  the  changed 
conditions  of  the  new  world  ?  Class  distinctions,  as 
we  know,  were  very  strongly  marked  in  the  old  colo- 
nial days.  The  common  people  were  very  common, 
rude  and  boorish  in  speech  and  manner.  So  much 
the  more  necessity  that  the  upper  class,  those  allied 
however  remotely  with  noble  families  at  home,  should 


OTHER   LIGHTS.  77 

hold  tenaciously  inherited,  social  traditions,  and  keep 
aloof  from  those  of  lower  social  grade  and  rougher 
manners.  We  fancy  that  the  application  of  these 
traditions  was  largely  due  to  woman. 

It  is  a  common  complaint  that  we  see  so  little  of 
the  mothers,  mves,  and  sisters  of  our  ante-revolution 
fathers,  but  none  the  less  were  they  a  power  behind 
the  throne.  With  little  outside  to  occupy  or  distract 
them  they  could  consecrate  their  time  and  energies 
to  the  care  of  their  households.  And  while  the  men 
were  out  in  the  world  building  up  towns  and  institu- 
tions, these  insulated  women  were  impressing  them- 
selves upon  the  minds  of  their  children,  and  so  train- 
ing them  that  thej^  were  fitted  in  turn  to  bear  their 
part  in  shaping  the  institutions  of  the  new  republic. 
How  the  character  of  these  unseen,  unobtrusive 
women  shines  out  in  their  sons.  From  Washino-- 
ton  downward,  it  would  seem  that  everj^  hian  promi- 
nently connected  with  the  American  Revolution  and 
establishment  of  Federal  Government  was  favored 
with  a  mother  of  superior  excellence  and  intelligence. 
We  have  the  privilege  to-day  of  intimate  acquain- 
tance with  such  noble  specimens  of  w^omanhood  as 
Abigail  Adams  and  Mercy  Warren.  We  have  the 
letter  written  by  Lydia  (Dyer)  Gray  to  her  son  at 
Boston  after  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  And  we 
know  there  were  many  others  equall}^  alive  to  the 
situation  and  wise  in  counsel.     Here  in  Windham 

7* 


78  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

county  we  had  Rachel  McClellan  planting"  *'  trees  of 
Liberty "  on  AVooclstock  common,  and  the  wife  of 
Dr.  David  Holmes,  held  in  such  high  respect  for 
"excellence  of  character  and  noble  bearing."  Still 
earlier  we  hear  the  praises  of  the  mother  of  Manas- 
seh  Cutler  "  adding  to  beauty  and  strength  of  mind, 
an  education  in  advance  of  her  time."  And  while 
no  special  record  comes  down  to  us  of  the  mother  of 
Joseph  Howe,  we  know  that  from  her  position  as  the 
wife  of  ministers  and  daughter  of  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  Pomfret  library,  that  she  must  have  ranked 
among  the  cultured  gentry,  the  true  nobility  of  early 
New  England. 

Across  the  Quinebaug  in  the  neighboring  town  of 
Pomfret,  contemporary  with  Howe  and  Cutler,  a 
young  man  grew  up  who  attained  eminence  in  early 
life  and  ^'hose  name  and  memory  are  still  held  in 
honor,  but  who  failed  to  gain  credit  for  what  in  his 
life's  work  he  valued  most.  A  descendant  of  the  old 
Waldensian  stock,  bearing  the  honored  name  of  Al- 
bigence  Waldo,  he  enjoyed  the  usual  advantages  of 
education,  pursuing  general  studies  under  his  minis- 
ter, Rev  Aaron  Putnam,  and  medical  studies  under 
the  most  noted  plwsician  of  the  county.  Dr.  Elisha 
Perkins  of  Plainfield.  Entering  into  practice  in  his 
native  town,  he  won  immediate  success  and  popular- 
ity. But  the  critical  condition  of  public  affairs  ab- 
sorbed much  time  and  enersrv.     He  served  as  clerk 


OTHER   LIGHTS.  79 

to  McClellaii's  famous  "  troop  of  horse  "  and  ni^on 
the  first  news  of  the  battle  at  Lexington  "  he  joined 
his  neighbors  and  marched  to  Cambridge  where  he 
tarried  till  they  came  home  together."  He  soon  re- 
turned to  the  field  as  assistant  surgeon  of  Col.  Jedi- 
diah  Huntington's  regiment,  and  for  four  years  suc- 
ceeding continued  almost  constantly  in  service.  His 
inoculation  for  and  treatment  of  small-pox  at  Mon- 
mouth and  Valley  Forge,  "  gained  him  much  reputa- 
tion," and  the  journals  kept  by  him  throw  much  light 
upon  the  condition  of  the  army.  The  demoralized  cur- 
rency— "  three  months  wages  barely  paying  a  thirty 
shilling  debt " — and  the  suffering  condition  of  his 
family — "  on  the  point  of  famishing  with  mere  want 
of  food  and  every  other  necessary  " — compelled  Dr. 
Waldo  in  1779  to  resign  his  position  in  the  army  and 
resume  his  medical  practice  in  Pomfret. 

The  valuable  exx^erience  gained  in  army  practice 
with  his  native  quickness  and  dexterity,  placed  Dr. 
Waldo  at  the  head  of  his  profession  in  northeastern 
Connecticut,  especially  in  surgical  practice.  He  be- 
came at  once  the  popular  physician  of  the  day,  his 
services  in  constant  demand  over  a  large  section  of 
country.  His  wide  popularity  is  indicated  by  one 
unfailing  test — the  number  of  children  named  for 
him,  rivaling  those  of  any  prominent  presidential 
candidate  or  successful  military  leader.  But  with 
this  flush  of  practice  he  was  able  to  carry  on  exten- 


80  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

sive  investigations,  not  only  in  his  own  profession, 
but  in  those  varied  scientific  questionings  then  ex- 
citing so  much  interest.  An  associate  for  a  time  with 
Dr.  Elisha  Perkins,  the  famous  inventor  of  the  "  Me- 
tallic Tractors,"  he  shared  his  interest  in  the  theory 
of  magnetic  and  electric  currents,  experimenting  in 
those  mysterious  agencies.  His  quick  mind  perceived 
the  benefits  that  might  accrue  from  professional  and 
scientific  association,  and  he  promoted  and  carried 
out  a  monthly  meeting  of  the  XDhysicians  in  Windham 
county  as  early  as  1786.  A  formal  county  Medical 
Society  was  formed  in  1791,  Dr.  Albigence  Waldo, 
clerk,  and  in  the  following  year  he  assisted  in  the 
organization  of  the  State  Medical  Society. 

With  this  extensive  professional  practice  and  sci- 
entific investigations.  Dr.  Waldo  retained  his  interest 
in  all  the  living  questions  of  the  day,  and  was  ever 
ready  to  bear  his  part  in  all  public  and  social  enter- 
prises. His  literary  accomplishment  and  fluency  of 
speech  were  highly  esteemed,  and  he  was  called  to 
take  a  prominent  part  on  many  important  occasions. 
Among  thousands  of  brother  Masons  he  was  selected 
to  pronounce  the  eulogy  on  behalf  of  the  Masonic 
order  at  the  grave  of  Gen.  Putnam,  and  he  was  ac- 
credited with  valuable  aid  in  the  preparation  of 
Humphrey's  "  Life  of  Putnam."  His  literarj^  aspira- 
tions and  pursuits  were  shared  by  his  second  wife, 
Lucy  Cargill.     She  was  the  daughter  of  Capt.  Benja- 


OTHER   LIGHTS.  81 

min  Cargill,  a  slirewd  and  genial  Scotchman,  propri- 
etor of  the  Quinebaug  mill  privilege  (now  embraced 
in  Putnam  city),  a  very  noted  and  influential  person- 
age. He  had  a  patriarchal  family,  whose  names  he 
delighted  to  jingle  in  rhyme  something  in  the  style 
of  the  late  Hutchinson  family,  viz.  : 

"  Here's  my  good  health  to  children  dear, 
x\ll  in  a  row  they  jiue 
Collected  here,  from  far  and  near  ; 
And,  lo,  they  are  called  mine. 

Here's  William,  Lucy,  Asenath,  too. 

And  Ben,  and  Rhoda,  five  : 
Here's  Phila,  Ithael,  Sail  and  Poll, 

And  James  and  Charles,  alive. 

And  here  are  two  adopted  ones, 

I  love  you  as  the  rest. 
And  pray  the  Lord  to  smile  on  you 

And  evermore  be  blest. 

And  two  are  dead,  I  hope  at  rest, 

You  living  ones  I  call. 
And  pray  the  Lord  to  smile  on  j^ou 

And  ever  bless  you  all." 

Mrs.  Waldo's  literary  style  was  very  unlike  that  of 
lier  straightforward, Methodist  father,  being  fashioned 
after  the  sentimental  Johnsonian  then  in  vogue.  It 
was  she  who  declined  an  invitation  to  a  supper  be- 
cause of  the  illness  of  "  her  babe,  that  tender  blossom," 


9znH7,'{ 


82  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

and  her  hand  is  evident  in  the  epitaph  upon  a  Revo- 
Intionary  soldier,  "  who  having  worn  his  life  out  in 
the  service  of  his  country,  had  gone  to  wave  the  Palm 
of  eternal  Peace."  But  in  spite  of  these  little  man- 
nerisms she  was  a  woman  of  good  intellect,  and  held 
with  her  husband  a  leading  position  in  the  best  so- 
ciety of  the  day.  This  happj^  and  triumphant  j)eriod 
of  her  life  had  but  a  short  continuance.  Dr.  Waldo 
died  suddenly  in  1794,  in  the  prime  of  life  and  height 
of  professional  eminence.  Few  deaths  excite  a  wider 
sympathy  or  leave  a  deeper  void.  He  was  borne  to 
the  grave  by  members  of  the  medical  society,  accom- 
panied by  the  Masonic  brethren  and  a  great  concourse 
of  Aveeping  friends  and  admirers.  Newspapers  winged 
his  praises  all  over  the  land  as  "  endowed  by  the  God 
of  nature  with  the  most  brilliant  and  distinguished 
abilities,  and  with  a  heart  susceptible  of  all  those 
amiable  and  benevolent  virtues  which  adorn  the 
human  breast ;"  as  one  who  "  ranked  among  the 
highest  order  of  his  profession,  whose  manuscripts 
wilUdoubtless  afford  great  light  and  benefit  to  future 
ages  ;  who  lived  without  an  enemy,  and  died  greatly 
lamented  by  all."  A  suitable  monument  erected  by 
his  fellow  Masons  testified  to  "  their  esteem  and  re- 
spect for  the  virtues,  talents,  and  usefulness  of  their 
late  worth}^  brother  ....  who  attentively  studying 
the  works  of  God  in  the  admirable  frame  of  man  rose 
to  eminent  distinction  in  the  noble  art  of  healing ; 


OTHER   LIGHTS.  S3 

his  name  was  Charity  ;  his  actions,  Humanity  ;  his 
intercourse  mth  men,  Benevolence  and  Love.  Born 
1750 ;  died  1794." 

And  after  all  this  public  manifestation  of  grief  and 
adulation  came  a  long  and  wearisome  struggle  for 
permanent  recognition.  Dr.  Waldo,  like  the  later 
Agassiz,  had  been  too  much  absorbed  in  professional 
and  scientific  labors  to  care  for  making  money ;  too 
busy,  indeed,  to  collect  what  he  had  honestly  earned. 
His  accounts  had  been  poorly  kept  and  were  found 
very  difficult  of  collection,  so  that  with  all  his  ex- 
tensive practice  and  high  reputation,  very  little  was 
left  for  the  support  of  his  family.  And  just  at  this 
juncture  the  Cargill  establishment  was  broken  up  and 
scattered.  The  remarkable  manner  in  which  a  family 
after  a  long  course  of  unbroken  prosperity  and  ap- 
parently^ fixed  stability  suddenly  falls  to  pieces,  was 
again  signally  illustrated.  Three  sons  died  in  rapid 
succession,  the  old  captain's  health  gave  way,  his 
property  greatl}^  depreciated  in  value.  Mrs.  Waldo, 
even  more  Johnsonian  in  affliction,  thus  writes  to  the 
widow  of  her  brother,  William  Cargill  : 

"My  father's  baleful  destiny  reserved  him  the  mournful  spec- 
tacle of  his  dying  eldest  son,  and  who  can  express  his  affliction  ? 
His  weeping  eyes  are  as  the  dropping  clouds  ;  his  melting  breast 
as  the  thunder  storm — clouds  which  break  not  away  ;  a  tempest 
without  knowledge  of  a  calm.  What  is  left  of  life  seems  un- 
supportable  and  is  not  really  life  but  a  lingering  death." 


84  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

Giving  up  their  pleasant  home  in  the  Quinebaug 
valley — the  old  "  Cargill's  Mills  "  where  they  had  en- 
joyed so  much  happiness  and  prosperity,  the  old 
people  passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives  alternat- 
ing among  the  homes  of  the  surviving  children,  un- 
der the  especial  care  of  Mrs.  Waldo.  But  whatever 
other  duties  claimed  her  time  and  thought  she  stead- 
fastly pursued  one  great  aim — to  bring  the  knowl- 
edge of  her  husband's  scientific  researches  to  the 
world  and  secure  public  recognition  of  his  services. 
Herself  destitute  of  means  for  publication  she  was 
compelled  to  ask  aid  of  others,  visiting  and  appeal- 
ing to  monied  men  in  different  parts  of  the  land. 
Her  letters — beautiful,  pathetic,  Johnsonian  letters, 
with  carefully  hoarded  copies  at  home — were  sent  to 
many  distinguished  parties.  As  tenderly  and  per- 
sistently as  Evangeline  sought  her  lost  lover,  so  did 
Lucy  Waldo  seek  the  perpetuation  of  those  memo- 
rials of  her  lost  love — those  precious  manuscripts 
that  w^ere  "  to  afford  great  light  and  benefit  to  future 
ages."  How  great  their  real  value  it  is  impossible 
now  to  estimate.  Many  things  were  lying  round 
waiting  to  be  discovered.  Dr.  Waldo  had  native 
quickness  and  keen  insight,  and  his  researches  were 
in  the  line  of  those  electric  and  magnetic  forces  that 
have  transformed  the  world,  and  may  have  predated 
modern  discoveries,  but  whether  they  did  or  not  they 
were  allowed  to  pass  unnoticed.     Again  and  again 


OTHER   LIGHTS.  85 

Mrs.  Waldo  seemed  about  to  attain  her  object ;  en- 
courag-ement  would  be  given  ;  hopes  raised  ;  once  a 
movement  for  publication  was  actually  started ;  and 
then  some  obstacle  w^ould  arise.  Years  passed  on  in 
reiterated  effort  and  disappointment.  The  "  tender 
blossom"  drooped  and  faded;  the  old  captain  and 
his  wife  passed  away ;  a  pupil  of  Dr.  Waldo's,  Dr. 
Thomas  Hubbard,  filled  his  place  at  Pomf ret,  and  even 
surpassed  the  fame  of  his  teacher :  little  "'  Albes  "  and 
"Waldos,"  grown  up  into  manhood,  scoffed  at  the 
odd  name  given  them  in  honor  of  an  old  time  doctor. 

"  Thousands  of  times  has  the  same  tale  been  told  ; 
The  world  belongs  to  those  who  come  the  last." 

But  still  the  faithful  wife  carried  her  precious  treas- 
ures from  East  to  West,  from  one  great  man  to  an- 
other. 

"  Fair  was  she  and  young  when  in  hope  began  the  long  journey  ; 
Faded  was  she  and  old,  when  in  disappointment  it  ended." 

Her  last  appeal  was  to  Dr.  Waldo's  early  friend 
and  neighbor,  Eev.  Manasseh  Cutler,  D.  D.  "  Care- 
fully copied,  illustrated  with  well  executed  draw- 
ings "  the  manuscripts  were  placed  in  his  hands,  "  but 
for  want  of  means  the  enterprise  was  again  defeated," 
and  Dr.  Waldo's  valued  papers  never  saw  the  light. 

Mrs.  Waldo  passed  her  declining  years  with  a  sis- 
ter, and  we  may  hope  that  the  consciousness  of  hav- 


86  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

ing  done  all  within  lier  i^ower  to  accomplisli  her  ob- 
ject softened  the  bitterness  of  disappointment.  And 
although  her  husband  does  not  take  a  place  among 
the  lights  and  benefactors  of  the  world,  to  be  hon- 
ored in  coming  ages,  the  self-sacrifice  and  devotion 
of  his  faithful  wife  will  help  to  keep  alive  his  mem- 
ory. 


lY. 
EEYOLUTIONARY  ECHOES. 

The  American  Revolution — the  sequence  of  events 
through  which  thirteen  insulated  colonies  severed 
connection  with  the  government  that  had  founded 
them,  and  established  a  federation  of  united  states 
— can  never  lose  its  interest  for  the  American  people. 
Rather  as  time  goes  on  and  the  marvelous  outcome 
of  that  severance  and  affiliation  is  more  clearly  mani- 
fested, there  is  increasing  interest  in  searching  out 
and  treasuring  up  every  fact  and  incident  connected 
with  this  momentous  revolution.  Leaving  primal 
causes  and  underlying  principles  to  be  discussed  by 
the  philosophic  historian,  our  special  object  of  in- 
quiry is — What  part  did  our  own  ancestors,  the  resi- 
dents of  these  Windham  County  towns,  bear  in  this 
great  struggle? 

Our  county  of  Windham,  it  may  be  noted,  bore  a  ) 
more  prominent  part  in  the  revolutionary  conflict 
than  her  present  position  in  Connecticut  would  indi- 
cate. Her  settlers  were  mainly  of  old  Massachusetts 
stock,  closely  connected  by  family  ties  with  towns  in 
the  vicinity  of  Boston.  The  main  routes  of  travel  from  . 
Boston  to  Hartford  and  New  York,  Norwich  and  New 


88  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

London;  from  Providence  to  Springfield  and  Norwich, 
ran  throug-h  Windham  County,  bringing  it  into  daily 
communication  with  business  and  political  centres. 
The  i^eculiar  structure  of  the  Connecticut  town,  its 
liberty  to  order  and  carry  forward  its  own  internal 
affairs,  had  developed  in  its  inhabitants  a  spirit  of 
inquiry  and  self-reliance.  The  money  question  was 
one  that  appealed  with  great  force  to  these  Wind- 
ham County  farmers.  Obliged  to  tax  themselves  for 
the  support  of  minister  and  schoolmaster,  as  well  as 
for  town  and  military  expenses,  every  item  of  expen- 
diture was  most  carefully  scrutinized.  The  connec- 
tion between  taxation  and  representation  had  been 
early  instilled  into  their  minds.  No  town  presumed 
to  send  representatives  to  legislature  till  it  was  able 
to  pay  its  proportion  of  public  charges.  Its  request 
for  the  privilege  of  sending  deputies  was  always  ac- 
companied by  lists  of  estates  for  assessments.  Min- 
isters exempt  by  law  from  tax-paying  wei*e  not  ex- 
pected to  vote.  When,  therefore.  Great  Britain's 
change  of  i^olicy  was  indicated,  when  her  claim  to 
the  right  of  enforcing  direct  tribute  from  every  part 
of  her  dominions  was  made  known,  it  roused  imme- 
diate and  intelligent  opposition.  The  colonies  rose 
as  one  in  resistance  to  the  Stamp  Act.  Prominent 
citizens  of  Windham  County,  Lawyer  Dyer,  Putnam, 
and  Durkee,  encouraged  and  abetted  acts  of  open 
resistance.     The  liberties  of  the  colonists  were  in 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  89 

jeopardy.  When  in  the  face  of  earnest  remonstrance 
parliament  persisted  in  its  arbitrary  course,  imposing 
in  1767  taxes  upon  glass,  paper,  tea  and  other  arti- 
cles, they  were  met  by  determined  and  organized 
opposition.  The  committee  appointed  at  a  public 
meeting  in  Boston,  October,  1767,  prepared  and  sent 
out  an  explicit  "  form  "  in  which  the  signers  pledged 
themselves  to  encourage  the  use  of  American  pro- 
ductions, and  refrain  from  purchasing  articles  of  Eu- 
ropean manufacture.  In  response  to  this  call  a  most 
enthusiastic  meeting  was  held  at  Windham  Green, 
which  resulted  in  the  adoption  of  the  following  votes 
and  measures,  viz.: 

"  That  we  do  engage  with  and  promise  each  other  that  we  will 
not  from  and  after  the  first  day  of  March  next,  by  land  or  water, 
transport  into  this  Colony  either  for  sale  or  our  own  family's  use, 
nor  purchase  of  any  other  person,  any  of  the  following  articles 
produced  or  manufactured  out  of  North  America,  viz.  :  Loaf- 
sugar,  cordage,  coaches,  chaises,  and  all  sorts  of  carriages  and 
harnesses  for  the  same,  men's  and  women's  saddles,  and  bridles 
and  whips,  all  sorts  of  men's  hats,  men's  and  women's  apparel 
ready-made,  men's  gloves,  women's  hats,  men's  and  women's 
shoes,  sole-leather,  shoe  and  knee  buckles,  iron  ware,  clocks, 
nails,  gold,  silver  and  thread  lace,  gold  and  silver  buttons,  dia- 
mond stone  and  paste  ware,  snuff,  tobacco,  mustard,  clocks  and 
watches,  silversmith  and  jeweller's  ware,  broad-cloth  that  costs 
above  9s.  pr.  yard,  muffs,  tippets  and  all  sorts  of  headdress  for 
women,  women's  and  children's  stays,  starch,  silk  and  cotton 
velvet    linseed  oil,   lawn  and  cambric  that  costs  above  4s.  pr. 


90  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

yard,  malt  liquors,  cheese,  chairs  and  tables,  and  all  kinds  of 
cabinet  ware,  horse  combs,  linen  exceeding  2s.  per  yard,  silks  of 
any  kind  in  garments,  men's  and  women's  stockings,  and  wove 
patterns  for  breeches  and  vests." 

They  also  agreed  to  discourage  and  discoiiDte- 
nance  the  excessive  use  of  all  foreign  teas,  spices, 
and  black  pepper ;  also  expensive  treats  by  military 
officers,  and  to  encourage  various  specified  domestic 
manufactures,  and  to  discountenance  in  the  most  ef- 
fectual but  decent  and  lawful  manner  any  inhabitant 
who  did  not  conform  to  these  regulations.  They  also 
voted  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  correspond 
with    committees    from   the    several   towns   in    the 

0 

county,  in  order  to  render  the  foregoing  proposals 
as  extensive  and  effectual  as  may  be.  This  report 
was  unanimously  adopted  at  "  a  very  full  meeting  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  town,"  and  three  of  her  most 
influential  citizens — Nathaniel  Wales,  Jun.,  Samuel 
Grey  and  Dr.  Joshua  Elderkin — appointed  a  commit- 
tee of  correspondence.  The  several  towns  of  the 
county  were  quick  to  follow  this  suggestion ;  held 
indignation  meetings  ;  passed  resolutions  and  ap- 
pointed their  best  men  on  these  corresponding  com- 
mittees. According  to  Bancroft,  Samuel  Adams 
"  thought  out  his  plan  of  correspondence  and  union 
among  the  friends  of  Liberty,"  and  laid  it  before  a 
Boston  town  meeting  in  1772.  Madam  Mercy  War- 
ren claims  that  it  had  been  previously  discussed  in 


REVOLUTIOXARY    ECHOES.  91 

their  Lome  circle,  and  that  her  husband,  Paymaster 
General  James  Warren,  had  suggested  it  to  private 
friends.  Like  many  other  great  movements  it  was^ 
"in  the  air,"  and  Samuel  Adams  undoubtedly  has 
the  honor  of  its  public  and  general  enforcement. 
But  here  we  have  it  in  full  force  among  our  Wind- 
ham County  towns  in  December,  1767;  five  years  in 
advance  of  its  general  adoption.  -^ 

And  these  resolutions  and  pledges  were  not  suf- 
fered to  remain  dead  letters.  If  any  of  our  young 
people  could  have  had  the  good  fortune  to  attend  the ' 
wedding  of  Miss  Dora  Flint,  of  W^indham  Green, 
December,  1767,  they  must  have  discarded  from  their 
apparel  every  article  of  foreign  manufacture.  Silk, 
ribbons,  gauze,  lace,  jewels,  are  rigidly  tabooed.  The 
wedding  garment  that  wins  admittance  to  that  mar- 
riage feast  is  of  sober  homespun.  The  bountiful  re- 
freshments are  all  of  native  origin.  Does  not  Con- 
necticut furnish  fish,  fowl,  and  game  in  endless 
vaiiety  and  abundance?  Sparkling  beverages  are 
distilled  from  her  own  grapes  and  apples.  Even  the 
domestic  red-root  tea  can  be  made  wholesome  and 
palatable.  It  was  a  jovial  and  joyful  feast,  attended 
by  belles  and  beaux  from  Lebanon  and  Norwich,  as 
well  as  Windham.  Patriotic  zeal  flavored  the  viands 
and  added  lustre  to  the  homespun,  home-made  gar- 
ments. Any  evasion  or  infringement  of  this  agree- 
ment  was   quickly  noted   and   held   up   to  severest 


y. 


92  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

reprobation.  Joshua  Elderkin,  a  prominent  mer- 
chant, presuming  to  have  on  sale  "  felt  hats  and 
worsted  patterns,"  the  town  voted  "To  look  upon 
him  as  a  person  not  fit  to  sustain  any  office  of  trust 
till  he  properly  manifests  his  repentance." 

The  tea  question  also  came  to  the  front  in  Wind- 
ham. Perhaps  there  was  no  article  whose  deprivation 
caused  so  much  inconvenience  and  grumbling,  and 
none  that  seemed  so  obnoxious  to  flaming  patriots. 
"  Any  person  who  persists  in  using  tea  shows  disre- 
gard for  the  liberties  of  America,"  votes  the  town  of 
Canterbury.  The  old  minister  in  Scotland  Parish  had 
the  misfortune  to  lose  his  step-daughter,  Elisabeth 
Devotion,  a  beautiful  young  woman.  Her  illness  was 
sudden  and  severe  ;  her  death  greatly  afflictive  ;  and 
under  the  circumstances  the  aged  parents  were  per- 
suaded to  indulge  in  the  gentle  stimulant  of  a  cup  of 
tea.  And  such  a  storm  as  was  raised  by  it.  As  soon 
as  Mr.  Cogswell  heard  of  the  complaints  he  hastened 
to  the  Committee  of  Inspection  with  certificates  from 
attendant  physicians  that  the  tea  had  been  taken  by 
their  advice  as  a  medical  prescription.  But  this  ex- 
cuse was  wholly  unsatisfactory.  From  all  parts  of 
the  parish  parishioners  were  dropping  into  the  min- 
ister's house  to  vent  their  own  disapproval,  and  report 
sayings  of  their  neighbors.  Some  showed  their  dis- 
pleasure by  actually  staying  away  from  meeting. 
Others  insisted  that  Mr.  Cogswell's  dereliction  should 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  93 

be  published  and  deDoiinced  in  the  Norwich  and  New 
London  newspapers.  One  old  woman  declared  that 
she  should  never  be  satisfied  till  Mr.  Cogswell  made 
public  explanation  and  confession  in  the  pulpit. 

In  the  same  town  a  good  farmer  had  worked  up  a 
little  barter  trade  with  Newport.  Some  one  surmis- 
ing that  tea  might  be  among  the  articles  brought 
home,  neighbors  met  him  on  the  road  with  a  supply 
of  tar  and  feathers  ready  for  application  had  the  ob- 
noxious article  been  found  in  his  saddle-bags. 

Windham  County's  intimate  relations  with  Boston"! 
and  Providence  brought  her  into  touch  with  current 
events.  A  son  of  Pomfret — Darius  Sessions — was 
deputy  governor  of  Ehode  Island  at  the  time  of  the 
burning  of  the  Gaspee.  Woodstock  boj^s  assisted  in^ 
throwing  the  tea  into  Boston  harbor.  Joseph  Howe, 
pastor  of  New  South  Church,  could  give  thrilling  re- 
ports of  the  desolation  wrought  by  the  enforcement 
of  the  Boston  Port  Bill.  That  act  of  power  had 
great  effect  in  hastening  the  inevitable  conflict.  A 
day  of  public  fasting  and  prayer  was  observed 
throughout  Connecticut.  On  the  day  the  bill  took 
effect,  June  1,  1774,  meetings  were  held  in  most  of 
the  towns.  In  Lebanon,  the  home  of  Gov.  Trumbull, 
the  bells  were  toiled  throughout  the  day  ;  town  house 
and  public  buildings  draped  with  black.  The  people 
were  everywhere  aflame  with  indignation.  Corre- 
sponding committees  received  new  powers  and  in- 


94  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

struetions.  Sympathetic  words  for  the  snfFering- 
iuhabitants  of  Boston  were  followed  by  helpful  gifts. 
Windham  town  was  first  in  relief  with  her  "small 
flock  "  of  two  hundred  and  fifty-eight  sheep.  Put- 
nam himself  took  down  Brooklyn's  gift  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty -five  fine  sheep.  Plainfield,  Pomfret, 
Killingly,  Woodstock,  sent  on  their  flocks.  "A  beef 
cow  for  the  distressed,"  with  quaint  words  of  sym- 
pathy was  forwarded  by  Capt.  Aaron  Cleveland,  of 
Canterbury,  father  of  the  future  Gen.  Moses  Cleve- 
land. 

As  it  became  more  and  more  evident  that  Great 
Britain  was  bent  ui^on  carrying  out  her  scheme  of 
taxation,  the  colonists  became  more  earnest  and  de- 
termined in  plans  for  resistance.  "  Millions  for  de- 
fence but  not  a  cent  for  tribute,''  was  the  prevailing 
sentiment.  The  burning  words  of  Patrick  Henry 
and  James  Otis  added  fuel  to  flames.  Military  prep- 
aration was  carried  on  by  every  possible  means. 
Experience  gained  in  hel^Ding  Great  Britain  to  expel 
the  French  from  Canada  was  now  turned  to  account 
in  training  men  to  resist  the  authority  of  Great  Brit- 
ain. Connecticut  equipped  four  new  regiments  in 
the  autumn  of  1774.  Each  toAvn  was  ordered  to  pro- 
vide double  its  usual  stock  of  powder,  balls,  and 
flint.  Trainings  twice  a  month  were  required  of 
each  military  company.  The  militia  organization  of 
our  colony  was  then  very  efficient ;    military  spirit, 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  1)5 

high.  Great  military  parades  aroused  the  admira- 
tion and  martial  spirit  of  country  lads.  A  brigade 
training  in  Plainfield,  1773,  is  especially  memorable 
for  inciting  the  first  spark  of  military  enthusiasm  in  a 
young  Quaker  from  Khode  Island,  Nathaniel  Greene, 
destined  to  win  a  high  name  among  revolutionary 
commanders.  Equally  noteworthy  was  a  military 
gathering  at  Woodstock  Hill,  May,  1774 — one  of  the 
first  of  Woodstock's  "  notable  meetings."  Soldiers 
in  Indian  dress  caught  up  and  carried  away  some  of 
the  children  present  but  were  pursued  and  brought 
back  in  triumph  by  Capt.  McClellan's  gallant  "  troop 
of  horse,"  to  the  intense  admiration  of  thousands  of 
spectators. 

But  while  providing  guns,  bullets,  and  powder,  and 
exciting  xDublic  spirit  by  loud  harangues  and  spec- 
tacular exhibitions,  they  did  not  forget  to  fortify 
themselves  with  arguments.  The  most  influential 
ministers  of  Windham  County  came  out  boldly  in  de- 
fence of  the  rights  of  the  people.  Rev.  Ebenezer 
Devotion,  of  Scotland,  was  sent  as  Windham's  repre- 
sentative during  the  Stami3  Act  agitation.  A  clause 
in  the  resolutions  of  the  General  Assembly,  after 
passage  of  the  Boston  Port  Bill,  expresses  the  true 
Connecticut  attitude  of  solid  men  at  that  epoch  : 

"That  the  subjects  of  his  Majesty  in  this  Colony  ever  have 
had  and  of  right  ought  to  have  and  enjoy  all  the  liberties,  im- 
munities and  privileges  of  free  and  natural-born  subjects  within 


96  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

any  of  the  dominions  of  our  said  King  ...  as  fully  and 
amply  as  if  they  and  everyone  of  them  were  born  within  the 
realm  of  England." 

A  small  book  widely  circulated  in  Connecticut  dur- 
ing this  winter  of  1774-75,  and  especially  endorsed 
by  Windham  County  clergy,  enforced  this  principle 
in  most  effective  terms.  It  was  entitled — "  English 
Liberties,  or  the  Freeborn  subjects  Inheritance,  con- 
taining Magna  Charta,  Habeas  Corpus  Act,  a  Decla- 
ration of  the  Liberties  of  the  Subject,  the  Petition 
of  Right,  and  other  kindred  documents,"  reprinted 
from  the  fifth  English  edition,  and  showing,  saith  the 
preface,  "  the  laws  and  rights  that  from  age  to  age 
have  been  delivered  down  to  us  from  our  renowned 
forefathers,  and  which  they  so  dearly  bought  and 
vindicated  to  themselves  at  the  expense  of  so  much 
blood  aiid  treasure."  And  yet  there  are  those  to-day 
who  ask  if  our  country  people  were  not  "  dragooned  " 
into  rebellion  by  partisan  leaders ! 

Fidly  to  appreciate  the  part  borne  by  Windham 
County  in  the  seven  years'  contest,  we  must  bear  in 
mind  the  meagreness  of  her  resources  as  compared 
with  the  present.  The  population  of  the  towns  now 
embraced  in  the  county  was  a  little  over  seventeen 
thousand :  its  grand  list  of  estates  only  figured  at 
(  about  =£160,000,  considerably  less  than  three-quarter 
million  dollars.  There  was  no  business  centre  of  any 
pretensions  except  at  Windham  Green,  and  the  pop- 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  97 

Illation  of  old  Windham  town,  including"  village, 
Scotland,  and  parts  of  present  Hampton  and  Chaplin 
territory,  was  only  thirty-five  hundred.  Killingly, 
including  all  Thompson  and  present  Putnam  east  of 
the  Quinebaug,  had  about  the  same  population  as 
Windham,  and  its  tax  list  only  rated  a  little  more 
than  a  hundred  thousand  dollars.  A  few  houses  in 
each  town  clustered  about  the  hill  meeting-house, 
but  the  main  bulk  of  the  population  was  scattered 
about  in  farm  houses.  There  were  a  few  stores  in 
Windham :  Larned  and  Mason  carried  on  an  exten- 
sive barter  trade  in  Thompson  Parish  ;  there  were 
saw  and  grist  mills  in  every  town,  but  the  great  ma- 
jority of  the  inhabitants  were  farmers.  Wonderment  ' 
iias  been  expressed  at  the  large  number  of  men  kept 
in  service  during  the  war  in  proportion  to  the  popu- 
lation. It  was  due  mainly  to  the  fact  that  the  men 
were  available  ;  not  tied  up  by  business  cares.  These_j 
stalwart  farmers  with  their  large  families  of '  boys 
were  more  at  liberty  to  answer  the  call  than  any  suc- 
ceeding generation. 

The  section  was  favored  in  the  way  of  public  roads. 
A  weekly  stage-coach  from  Providence  to  Norwich 
passed  through  Plainiield ;  a  new  route  vras  estab-  ' 
lished  in  1774  from  Norwich  to  Boston,  passing 
through  Windham,  Pomfret,  and  Thompson.  The  J 
only  post-office  was  in  New  London.  Taverns  were 
numerous   on   every  road,  and  Avell   supplied  with 

9 


98  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

liquor.  Public  life  at  this  time  mainly  centered  in 
the  town  meeting  and  military  gathering.  Wind- 
ham's military  companies  were  comprised  in  the  Fifth, 
Eleventh,  and  Twenty-first  Connecticut  regiments — 
strong  and  well  disciplined  organizations.  Jedidiah 
Elderkin  was  colonel,  Experience  Storrs,  lieut.-colo- 
nel  of  the  Fifth,  which  comprised  companies  from 
Windham  and  Ashford.  Pomfret,  Woodstock  and 
Killingly  men  made  up  the  Eleventh — Ebenezer  Wil- 
liams, colonel ;  William  Danielson,  lieut.-colonel.  The 
newly  organized  21st  took  in  Plainfield  and  Canter- 
bury. A  "  troop  of  horse  "  connected  with  each  regi- 
ment was  extremely  popular.  Old  French  war  vete- 
rans connected  with  the  several  companies  added 
much  to  their  spirit  and  efficiency. 

The  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington  found  these 
men  ready  for  the  summons.  Thousands  of  hearts 
and  homes  were  stirred  by  the  ai^nouncement.  An 
official  despatch  sent  from  Worcester  reached  Daniel 
Tyler,  Jun.,  Brooklyn,  8  A.  M.  April  20,  the  morning 
after  the  encounter ;  but  earlier  than  that,  *  as  we 
learn  from  private  sources,  a  swift-footed  messenger 
speeding  across  the  hills  brought  the  great  news  to 
Woodstock  and  Killingly.  A  small  boy  then  sleep- 
ing in  bed  with  his  grandfather — Ephraim,  son  of  Dr. 
Manasseh  Cutler — tells  the  story  in  later  years  : 

"I  well  remember  that  the  express  with  the  news  of  the  bat- 
tle of  Lexington  came  directly  to  my  grandfather's  house  in  the 


REVOLUTIOXARY    ECHOES.  99 

night.  He  was  iu  bed  and  I  slept  with  him.  He  arose  and  fired 
his  gun  three  times,  which  was  doubtless  the  agreed  signal  as  it 
was  universally  expected  there  would  be  a  hostile  attack  from 
the  British.  Before  sunrise  he  with  fifteen  others  had  started 
for  the  battlefield.  He  had  the  care  of  a  quantity  of  powder 
which  was  kept  in  the  meeting  house.  He  gave  directions  to 
have  half  a  pound  delivered  to  each  man  as  he  called  for  it.  The 
house  was  thronged  through  the  day  with  parties  of  ten  or 
twenty  men  who  followed  on  towards  Boston.  I  suppose  that 
from  the  age  of  sixteen  to  seventy  all  left  except  sickness  or 
some  disability  excused  them.  I  remember  that  while  the  men 
were  all  away  the  women  were  thrown  into  quite  a  panic  by  a 
report  which  was  started  by  some  mischievous  or  evil-disposed 
person,  that  '  Malbones  niggers '  were  coming  to  pillage  and 
burn  the  place.  Our  house  was  filled  with  trembling,  frightened 
women  and  children.  There  was  not  a  firearm  or  weapon  in  the 
place  and  only  a  few  aged  men.  I  remember  they  prepared  ket- 
tles of  heated  water  and  the  boys  were  stationed  as  sentinels  to 
give  timely  notice  of  their  approach.  My  place  was  the  top  of 
my  grandfather's  gambrel-roofed  house.  But  we  saw  no  negroes 
nor  indeed  anybody  else  for  the  whole  place  seemed  deserted." 

On  tliis  memorable  day  men  from  six  companies 
marcliecl  from  K^illingly.  Those  from  the  mother 
town  were  led  by  Major  William  Danielson  and  cap- 
tains Ephraim  Warren  and  Joseph  and  Daniel  Cady. 
The  Thompson  men  were  led  by  captains  Joseph  El- 
liott and  John  Green  and  Lieutenant  Elwell.  Many 
of  the  older  men,  the  fathers  of  the  town,  were  in  the 
ranks.  The  honored  list  of  177  names  embraces  rep- 
resentatives of  nearly  every  old  family  in  the  large 


100  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

town.  Woodstock  sent  four  companies  under  captains 
Daniel  Lyon,  Epliraim  Manning",  Nathaniel  Marcy, 
Benjamin  Lyon,  with  her  proportion  of  the  "  troop 
of  horse,"  and  of  Elwell's  New  Boston  company. 
All  the  other  towns  in  the  county  were  worthily  rep- 
resented. AVe  all  know  the  story  of  Putnam's  recep- 
tion of  the  news  and  how  much  he  had  contributed 
towards  inciting  military  spirit  and  advising  efficient 
organization.  The  field  in  which  he  left  his  young 
son,  Daniel,  to  unyoke  the  team  left  in  the  furrow  is 
one  of  the  hallowed  ^possessions  of  Windham  County. 
His  hurried  ride  that  April  day  to  Cambridge  is 
linked  with  that  of  Paul  Eevere  in  popular  regard. 

Among  the  many  thousand  homes  that  day  en- 
grossed by  the  great  news  and  hurried  preparations, 
the  one  I  see  most  clearly  is  a  low,  square  old  house, 
now  standing  in  South  Woodstock,  left  of  the  road 
that  turns  to  Eoseland  Park.  There  the  famous 
Windham  County  "  troop  of  horse  "  gathered  around 
their  leader,  Capt.  Samuel  McClellan — a  stalwart 
body  of  men,  the  pride  of  eastern  Connecticut — and 
thence  they  started  off  in  advance  of  regimental  or- 
ders—thirty-six horsemen  in  battle  array.  And  after 
all  were  gone  in  the  late  April  afternoon,  the  mis- 
tress of  the  household — Rachel  Abbe  of  Windham — 
brought  out  a  small  bunch  of  saplings,  stripling  elms 
from  her  early  home,  and  with  her  own  hands  planted 
them  in  Woodstock  soil.     And  there  they  stand  on 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  101 

tlie  common  before  the  house,  three  noble  elms,  true 
trees  of  Liberty,  forever  testifying  to  the  patriotic 
devotion  of  a  daughter — rather  let  us  say  of  a  inother 
of  the  Revolution — one  whose  constant  aid  and  sym- 
pathy encouraged  and  strengthened  her  husband  and 
many  other  sons  of  Windham  County  to  bear  a  most 
honorable  and  helpful  part  in  the  long  struggle. 

What  would  we  not  give  for  as  clear  a  glimpse  of 
many  Pomfret  homes  on  that  memorable  Saturday 
and  Sunday.  All  day  and  night  the  clans  were  mar- 
shaling in  this  town.  No  promiscuous  scramble  to 
the  front  was  allowed  in  Putnam's  town.  By  his 
advice  the  companies  of  the  Fifth  Regiment  were 
mustered  to  march  in  due  military  order  to  the  scene 
of  action.  And  here  they  met  in  Pomfret  Street  and 
Abington,  hundreds  of  men  ready  for  marching 
orders.  It  is  strange  that  tradition  preserves  no  hint 
of  that  most  remarkable  gathering.  We  are  indebted 
to  the  diary  of  Lieut. -Col.  Storrs  for  brief  report. 
Late  on  Saturday  night  he  and  his  company  reached 
Pomfret  and  found  Ashford  and  Windham  companies 
awaiting  him.  The  officers  were  entertained  at  the 
house  of  Mr.  Ebenezer  Grosvenor ;  the  soldiers — 
where?  Did  they  bivouac  in  tents,  or  were  they 
billeted  upon  scores  of  Pomfret  homes  ?  Hundreds 
more  came  in  the  night,  eager  to  offer  themselves  for 
service.  As  soon  as  possible  after  the  morning  meal 
they  sent  for  Rev.  Mr.  Putnam,  the  Pomfret  minister, 

9* 


102  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

to  pray  with  the  companies.  After  prayer  Col.  Storrs 
formed  a  hollow  square  and  communicated  regimental 
orders.  The  men  were  then  dismissed  till  1  P.  M., 
while  the  officers  held  council.  Was  service  held 
that  day  in  that  famous  g-reat  meeting-house,  filled 
with  those  waiting  soldiers?  Did  those  good 
ministers,  Reverends  Putnam  and  Ripley,  improve 
the  opportunity  for  timely  prayer  and  exhortation? 
Did  anxious  wives  and  mothers  leave  household  cares 
to  attend  these  helpful  services  ?  No  echo  comes  to 
us  from  those  waiting,  eager  men  and  burdened 
households.  We  can  only  joicture  in  our  minds  the 
bustle,  the  excitement,  the  varied  experiences  of  that 
eventful  day  in  many  a  Pomfret  home.  Col.  Storrs 
curtly  notes  that  they  decided  to  take  one  fifth  of  the 
ten  companies  present  and  order  the  "  overplush  "  to 
return  home.  The  elect  two  hundred  were  from  Ash- 
ford  and  Windham,  (Canada  Parish)  with  fifty -nine 
from  Pomfret.  At  5  P.  M.  they  started  on  their 
march  to  Lexington.  Lieut. -Col.  Storrs  accompanied 
them  as  far  as  Dudley  and  then  left  them  in  charge 
of  Capt.  Thomas  Knowlton — a  young  hero  already 
noted  in  military  service,  and  destined  to  win  im- 
mortal laurels.  These  companies  were  received  with 
much  distinction  at  Cambridge,  as  the  first  on  the 
ground  fully  disciplined  and  equipped.  Other  Pom- 
fret men — Lieut.  Keyes,  Corporal  Seth  Grosvenor, 
Dr.  Waldo,  and  a  number  of  privates,  had  preceded 
with  the  Troop. 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  1013 

Of  these  thousands  of  Windham  County  men  who 
sallied  out  upon  the  alarm,  the  younger  portion 
almost  without  exception  served  under  successive 
enlistments  during  the  war.  As  many  as  were  needed 
were  mustered  into  Putnam's  own  regiment— the 
Connecticut  Third,  in  May.  The  captains  of  its  ten 
companies  were  Israel  Putnam,  senior  and  junior, 
Experience  Storrs,  John  Durkee,  Obadiah  Johnson, 
Thomas  Knowlton,  James  Clark,  Ephraim  Manning, 
Joseph  Elliott,  Ebenezer  Mosely.  The  older  men 
were  left  to  carry  on  their  farms  and  town  affairs,  but 
were  often  called  out  with  the  militia. 

We  catch  few  inside  glimpses  of  affairs  this  sum- 
mer of  1 775 — the  busiest  and  happiest  summer  of  the 
war  for  New  England.  As  yet  all  were  in  the  first 
flush  of  novelty  and  excitement.  Every  patriot  home 
was  astir  with  eager  preparation.  Constant  inter- 
course was  maintained  with  the  camp  at  Cambridge. 
Many  an  aged  Jesse  "  went  down  to  camp  "  or  sent 
his  fresh  young  David  as  a  substitute.  The  report 
of  the  battle  at  Bunker  Hill  thrilled  every  patriot 
heart.  Windham  County  bore  a  most  honorable  ffart 
in  this  memorable  battle.  Putnam,  by  general  accla- 
mation, was  made  the  hero  of  the  day.  Knowlton 
and  Grosvenorhad  done  conspicuous  service.  Com- 
panies from  Windham,  Ashford,  Canterbury,  and 
Pomfret  had  taken  part  in  the  main  defence.  Others 
from  Killingly  had  helped  cover  the  retreat  when 


10 J:  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

ammunition  was  exhausted.  The  names  of  eleven 
Windham  County  men  left  on  the  field  are  inscribed 
on  the  sacred  roll  of  Bunker  Hill  monument. 

A  mother's  letter  brings  us  back  into  the  home  cir- 
cle. It  is  from  Mrs.  Samuel  Gray,  of  Windham,  to 
her  son,  Lieut.  Ebenezer  Gray. 

"  July  31,  A,  D.  1775. 
Dear  Child : — I,  this  morning  heard  by  Mr.  Trumbull,  who 
passed  through  town  in  haste  last  evening,  that  you  are  prepar- 
ing to  meet  the  enemy,  or  to  drive  them  from  their  new  intrench- 
ments.  I  could  not  hear  it  without  some  emotion  of  soul,  al- 
though I  firmly  believe  God  is  able  to  deliver  and  will  deliver 
us  out  of  the  hands  of  these  unnatural  enemies  in  his  own  time. 
Our  cause  is  just  I  don't  doubt,  and  God  in  his  holy  and  right- 
eous providence  has  called  you  there  to  defend  our  just  rights 
and  privileges.  I  would  commit  you  into  the  hands  of  a  just 
and  merciful  God,  who  alone  is  able  to  defend  you.  Confessing 
my  utter  unworthiness  of  the  least  mercy,  would  trust  in  un- 
merited mercy  through  Jesus  Christ  for  all  that  strength,  cour- 
age and  fortitude  that  you  stand  in  need  of  in  the  business  he  is 
calling  you  to.  Trust  in  the  Lord  and  be  of  good  courage  ;  the 
eye  of  the  Lord  is  upon  them  that  fear  him  ;  upon  them  that 
hope  in  his  mercy.  Confess  your  sins  daily  before  the  Lord, 
and  forsake  every  evil  way  ;  walk  in  all  the  commandments  of 
the  Lord.  Be  careful  to  set  a  good  example  before  those  that  are 
under  you,  especially  in  observing  the  Sabbath.  The  surest  way 
of  conquering  our  enemies  is  to  turn  from  every  evil  way,  and 
seek  the  Lord  with  all  our  hearts  with  confession  of  our  sins.  I 
am  more  afraid  of  our  sins  than  of  all  the  forces  of  our  enemy. 
As  to  profane  swearing,  which  is  very  common  in  camps,  I  al- 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  105 

ways  thought  you  were  not  inclined  to,  and  I  trust  you  will  take 
all  possible  care  to  prevent  it  in  those  that  fall  under  your  care. 
I  think  we  have  abundant  reason  to  praise  the  name  of  the 
Lord  for  his  wonderful  assistance  and  deliverances  our  people 
have  experienced  at  one  time  and  another,  especially  at  Bunker's 
Hill.  Well,  may  we  say,  '  Had  it  not  been  the  Lord  who  was 
on  our  side  when  such  a  number  of  troops  rose  up  and  surrounded 
our  people,  then  they  had  swallowed  us  up  quick  when  their 
wrath  was  kindled  against  us.'  These  merciful  assurances  of  God 
for  us  ought  to  encourage  us  to  call  upon  God,  and  strengthen 
our  faith  in  Him.  That  you  may  put  your  trust  in  God,  and  go 
on  with  courage  and  fortitude  to  whatever  work  or  business  you 
may  be  called  to,  is  the  sincere  prayer  of  your  Loving  Mother. 

Lydi.\  Gray." 

-  And  some  homes,  even  in  this  first  hopeful  summer, 
are  ah^eady  darkened.  A  neat  farm-house  on  the 
road  to  Grosvenordale — the  residence  of  our  late 
friend,  Mr.  Elliott  Shumwaj^ — brings  freshly  before 
me  our  first  Kevolutionary  officer,  Capt.  Joseph 
Elliott,  tossing  on  his  bed  through  the  hot  summer 
days.  A  brave  and  gallant  officer  in  the  prime  of 
life,  after  return  from  Lexington  he  had  been  selected 
to  lead  the  Killingly  company  of  Putnam's  own  regi- 
ment. There  is  reason  for  belief  that  he,  with  part 
of  his  company,  covered  the  retreat  of  the  little  band 
from  the  redoubt  at  Bunker  Hill,  preserving  it  from 
annihilation  or  capture.  A  few  days  later  he  is  at 
home  struggling  with  disease,  doubtless  brought  on 
by  fatigue  and  exposure.     We  picture  him  lying  in 


106  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

the  darkened  house,  and  the  bereaved  wife,  the  eig"ht 
children,  and  aged  grandfather  following  him  to  his 
grave  in  early  August. 

And  the  minister's  house  on  Killingly  Hill  lies  in 
deep  shadow.  There  in  June  had  been  welcomed  a 
son  of  the  house,  Rev.  Joseph  Howe,  the  beloved 
pastor  of  New  South  Church,  Boston — driven  from 
his  pulpit  by  the  exigencies  of  the  time — the  most 
brilliant  young  man  of  his  generation.  Passing  on 
to  visit  friends  in  Hartford,  he  succumbed  suddenly 
to  complicated  disease,  brought  on  by  fatigue  and 
excitement.  The  death  of  his  step-father,  Rev. 
Aaron  Brown,  while  returning  from  his  funeral,  made 
the  blow  still  heavier  for  family  and  people. 
^  Even  a  deeper  shadow  rested  on  a  stately  residence 
at  Windham  Green,  the  home  of  Col.  Eleazer  Fitch, 
high  sheriff  of  the  county.  That  beautiful  home,  so 
famed  for  social  attraction  and  musical  culture,  was 
n  o w  closed  and  barred  by  outside  pressure.  A  colonel 
in  the  old  French  Avar — a  civil  officer  under  the  King 
— Col.  Fitch  could  not  take  sides  with  the  i^atriots 
in  resistance  to  royal  authority.  His  words  of  repro- 
bation roused  the  ire  of  the  inflammable  people  of 
Windham.  A  boycott  was  served  upon  him.  A  paper 
was  circulated  in  which  the  signers  pledged  them- 
selves to  withhold  from  Col.  Fitch  every  possible  ac- 
commodation. A  miller  must  not  grind ;  a  black- 
smith must  not  renew  a  horseshoe  for  a  Tory — and 


\ 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  107 

tins  loyal  gentleman  who  had  been  the  idol  of  his 
generation,  "the  best  looking  man  in  the  army," 
lived  in  isolation  and  loneliness,  lacking  the  common 
comforts  of  life—"  Bad  weather  for  Tories,"  reports 
Col.  Storrs,  "yet  we  have  some." 

To  a  certain  extent  it  is  easy  to  follow  the  course 
of  events  during  the  Kevolutionary  period.  We 
have  official  military  records,  details  of  public  meet- 
ings, outline  reports  of  movements  and  engagements 
in  the  limited  newspaper  of  the  day,  but  we  know 
that  much  occurred  of  which  we  can  gain  no  knowl- 
edge. It  is  a  matter  of  wonderment  that  of  home 
life  we  have  so  few  glimpses,  and  yet  we  know  that 
every  home  in  the  colonies  was  most  intimately 
affected.  Even  where  father,  husband  or  son  was 
not  in  actual  service  there  was  depreciation  of  cur- 
rency, diminution  of  supplies,  interruption  of  the 
common  routine  of  life.  Public  and  private  life,  in 
town  and  home,  were  alike  pivoted  upon  the  war  that 
was  in  iDrogress. 

Personally  I  have  to  confess  great  mis-improve- 
ment of  privileges.  My  maternal  grandmother  was 
eighteen  years  of  age  at  the  close  of  the  war,  and  af- 
terwards married  a  revolutionary  soldier,  yet  all  that 
I  gained  from  her  was  a  chance  allusion  that  im- 
pressed my  youthful  sensibilities  of  "  bloody  tracks 
left  by  the  soldiers  in  marching."  "I  was  born," 
says  our  good  old  minister,  Daniel  Dow,  "in  1772, 


108  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

and  have  a  yivicl  recollection  of  many  of  the  impor- 
tant events  of  the  Revolutionary  War" — and  yet, 
though  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Dow  were  capital  story  tel- 
lers, ever  ready  to  communicate,  not  one  of  those 
"  vivid  recollections  "has  been  preserved  by  parish- 
ioner or  descendant.  I  think  I  have  seen  but  one 
revolutionary  soldier,  "  Old  Sibley  " — who  lived  near 
the  village.  The  boys  of  my  time  thought  it  great 
fun  to  hear  his  war  stories,  but  the  girls  did  not  go 
for  him.  Pomfret  Factory  boys  in  the  Quinebaug 
valley  had  the  rare  privilege  of  hearing  live  Bunker 
Hill  stories  from  that  worthy  officer  of  the  church 
militant — Dea.  Elihu  Sabin.  He  would  tell  them  of 
his  covering  the  retreat  from  the  Hill  and  being  con- 
fronted by  a  fierce-looking  British  officer  when  he 
had  but  one  charge  left  in  his  musket. 

"  And  did  you  kill  him  ?  "  the  boys  would  ask 
eagerly. 

"  Wall,"  he  would  answer  deliberately,  "  I  dunno 
exactly,  but  the  last  I  see  of  him  he  was  getting  off 
his  horse." 

It  is  because  of  the  increasing  rarity  of  such  first- 
hand incidents  that  we  should  take  much  pains  to 
avail  ourselves  of  every  i30ssible  source  of  informa- 
tion ;  to  gather  and  note  down  every  fact  and  item 
received  from  those  Avho  were  personally  connected 
with  the  Revolution.  The  time  is  not  far  distant 
when  the  last  person  will  have  passed  away  who  has 
even  see)i  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  109 

With  the  transfer  of  the  seat  of  war  from  Boston 
to  New  York,  came  far  heavier  burdens  to  our  Wind- 
ham County  towns.  No  more  pleasant  intercourse 
with  the  camp ;  no  more  return  of  sick  and  wounded 
to  be  nursed  at  home.  But  far  more  urgent  was  the 
demand  and  larger  the  number  of  those  now  enter- 
ing upon  service.  All  the  provision  that  could  be 
spared  from  household  supplies  was  brought  forward 
for  the  use  of  the  army.  Every  grain  of  salt,  everj^ 
scrap  of  saltpetre  was  carefully  hoarded.  House- 
wives ransacked  their  stores  for  towcloth  for  tent  and 
knapsack.  One-fourth  of  the  men  in  each  militia 
regiment,  perfectly  equipped  with  arms,  balls,  flints, 
and  other  needful  articles,  were  ordered  to  hold 
themselves  ready  to  march  as  minute-men  at  the 
shortest  notice  ;  while  recruiting  for  the  several  new 
regiments  ordered  by  Government  was  pushed  for- 
ward with  greatest  activity.  A  letter  from  Washing- 
ton, June  29,  to  Brig.-Gen.  Wadsworth,  hastens  prep- 
arations— "The  safety  of  our  army  under  Heaven 
depends  upon  the  seasonable  arrival  of  the  Connec- 
ticut regiments  at  New  York."  Woodstock  compa- 
nies were  ordered  to  set  out,  Thursday,  July  4.  If 
the  whole  company  was  not  in  readiness  they  were 
to  start  with  twenty-five  men,  forwarding  the  re- 
mainder as  fast  as  they  became  ready  "  with  all  con- 
venient speed."  Do  we  wonder  that  such  a  summons 
sent  a  thrill  through  every  soldier's  home?     How 

10 


110  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

great  the  danger  they  were  facing  in  that  strange 
far-off  New  York  and  Jersey !  Yet  they  went  by 
twos  and  threes  froro  many  a  Woodstock  home. 
Two  sons  went  out  from  Henry  Child's  tavern — one 
son,  at  least,  from  the  home  of  that  leading  patriot, 
Capt.  Elisha  Child,  and  a  young  man  brought  up  in 
the  family.  While  all  were  engrossed  with  final 
preparations  and  words  of  cheer  and  counsel,  this 
orphan  youth,  thinking  that  should  he  fall  in  the 
campaign  there  were  none  to  remember  or  mourn  for 
him,  stole  off  in  the  woods  for  a  memorial  tree  which 
he  set  out  in  front  of  this  old  Ephraim  Child  house — 
and  thus  East  Woodstock  gained  her  "Revolutionary 
elm  " — a  grand  old  tree,  as  strong  and  thrifty  as  the 
nation  it  typifies.  Little  did  those  Woodstock  men 
realize,  as  they  marched  off  for  service  that  morning 
of  July  4,  1776,  the  significance  of  the  events  in 
which  they  were  participating.  Days  passed  before 
they  even  heard  of  that  memorable  Declaration  that 
hallows  that  day  forever  to  every  son  and  daughter 
of  our  land.  But  we  may  well  believe  that  its  spirit 
was  in  their  hearts,  and  in  the  hearts  of  their  towns- 
men, who,  though  they  had  already  sent  out  "  a  much 
greater  number  than  their  proportion,"  now  pledged 
themselves  anew  "  to  do  ever3^ thing  in  their  power  to 
advantage  the  public  cause."  A  letter  from  Wash- 
ington's own  hand,  commending  them  for  their  self- 
sacrifice  in  sparing  their  beloved  minister,  Rev.  Abiel 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  Ill 

Leonard,  to  serve  continuously  as  chaplain  in  Put- 
nam's regiment,  was  an  additional  stimulus.  And 
Mr.  Leonard's  example  and  eloquent  exhortations 
doubtless  had  great  influence.  As  an  instance  of  the 
sympathetic  enthusiasm  of  the  women,  it  is  said  that 
when  in  the  preceding  autumn  some  soldiers  returned 
home  when  their  term  of  enlistment  had  expired 
without  waiting  for  formal  discharge,  that  their  wives 
gave  them  a  hearty  scolding  and  threatened  to  drive 
them  back  to  the  camp. 

And  now  this  courage  and  enthusiasm  were  to  be 
sorely  tested.  This  campaign  of  1776  in  Long  Island 
and  New  York,  brought  a  severe  strain  upon  Con- 
necticut. She  furnished  by  far  the  largest  number  for 
the  field;  her  losses  were  very  heavy.  The  battle 
and  retreat  from  Long  Island,  the  hurried  stampede 
through  New  York  city,  the  death  of  Knowlton,  the 
sickness  raging  in  the  cami3 — all  brought  inexpressi- 
ble distress  to  the  homes  of  these  Windham  County 
soldiers.  The  regular  quota  of  men  from  the  several 
towns  were  mustered  into  Colonels  Ward  and  Dur- 
kee's  regiments  for  the  year's  service.  Another  call 
was  made  in  June  for  special  service  in  Wadsworth's 
Brigade,  at  Long  Island  and  New  York  city.  A 
still  more  urgent  call  in  September  summoned  the 
Eleventh  Kegiment,  militia,  with  all  speed  to  New 
York.  A  hundred  and  twelve  men  now  went  out  from 
Killingly,  and  equal  proportion  from  other  towns,  in- 


112  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

eluding-  every  man  that  was  fit  for  service.  These 
were  indeed  "  the  times  that  tried  men's  souls  "  in 
camp  and  home.  Every  post  brought  tidings  of  fresh 
loss  and  disaster.  The  few  letters  that  reached  home 
told  of  defeat,  sickness,  suffering-,  imprisonment,  and 
death.  Here  is  a  letter  from  Private  Thomas  Dike, 
who  went  out  from  Thompson  Parish  in  the  Eleventh 
Regiment : 

"Westchester,  Sept.  ye  10th,  1776. 
Ever  Honored  Father  and  Mother  : 

After  my  duty  to  you  hoping  these  few  lines  will  find  you  all 
well  as  through  the  goodness  of  God  it  leaves  me  at  present,  I 
would  inform  you  that  I  arrived  here  last  night  and  have  made 
all  the  inquiries  after  Samuel  that  I  have  had  opportunity  for  but 
cannot  hear  where  he  is.  The  last  account  was  that  last  Saturday 
he  was  sick  and  in  the  hospital  in  the  city  of  New  York  and 
came  that  day  from  the  hospital  up  to  the  regiment  but  being 
weak  could  not  travel  and  several  of  the  company  told  me  there 
were  carriages  provided  to  carry  the  sick  over  to  the  Jersey  side 
among  which  was  Sergeant  Jesse  Larned  who  is  since  dead, 
Samuel  Dike,  Amos  Green  and  many  others.  I  hope  to  hear  soon 
from  him,  and  see  him  for  they  tell  me  he  is  much  discouraged 
but  thought  he  was  getting  better. 

There  has  been  a  sore  battle  at  York.  The  Regulars  landed 
on  the  island  of  York,  both  on  the  North  and  East  Rivers  on 
Sabbath  day,  and  our  men  were  obliged  to  retreat  with  all  possi- 
ble speed,  but  notwithstanding  many  were  killed  and  taken. 
Capt.  Stephen  Crosby  being  over  hot  went  into  a  house  and 
drinked  cold  water  and  died  immediately.  Lieut.  Buck  is  either 
killed  or  taken  prisoner  and  several  more  Killingly  men.  On 
Monday  it  is  reported  our  men  got  the  better  ;    killed  and  took 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  113 

great  numbers  of  the  Regulars  and  Hessians.  Col.  Williams' 
regiment  is  ordered  off  to  the  Jersey  side  and  we  expect  to  go 
from  here  to-day.  It  is  very  sickly  here  among  the  militia. 
William  Smith  and  Ebenezer  Nichols  we  left  behind.  Solomon 
Smith  and  John  Barrett  must  stop  here  or  return  back.  The 
Lord  be  merciful  to  us  all  for  we  have  got  where  the  inhabitants 
show  no  pity.  I  beg  your  prayers  for  me  that  I  may  be  pre- 
served from  sin,  sickness  and  the  sword  and  be  soon  returned  to 
my  family  and  friends  whom  I  am  greatly  concerned  for.  I 
would  have  written  a  few  lines  to  my  wife  but  have  not  time. 
Kow,  I  hope  she  will  not  take  it  hard.  I  desire  to  be  remembered 
to  her  and  all  my  friends.  Tell  my  little  children  I  long  to  see 
them  but  when  I  shall  I  cannot  tell.  It  is  all  confusion  here. 
Your  dutiful  son,        Thomas  Dike." 

^  Still  more  distressing-  pictures  were  given  by  Oliver 
Grosvenor,  Commissary  of  Eleventh  Regiment,  in 
letters  to  his  wife : 

"The  sick  daily  increases  in  numbers  :  some  companies  not 
more  than  two  or  three  in  their  returns  fit  for  duty  :  the  rest  sick 
and  taking  care  of  the  sick.  ...  It  is  not  in  my  power  to  paint 
you  the  doleful  scenes  I  behold  every  hour  :  neither  did  I  believe 
that  rational  creatures  could  be  divested  of  that  humanity  that  I 
find  they  are  subject  to  in  the  camps,  where  sickness  and  sin  so 
much  prevail.  Alas  for  our  land  which  now  mourns  beneath  the 
horrors  and  distresses  of  our  present  war.  ...  Six  of  our  regi- 
ment have  died  since  the  day  before  yesterday  and  now  there  are 
a  number  I  expect  to  hear  are  dead  in  the  morning.     Oct.  3, 1776." 

The  irregularity  of  communication  enhanced  dis- 
tress and  anxiety.     In  the  longer  or  shorter  interval 


114  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

between  these  chance  letters  imagination  painted 
even  greater  losses  and  horrors.  Yet  the  trne  reality 
was  beyond  expression.  Scores  of  men  who  had  gone 
out  full  of  life  and  spirits,  blotted  out  of  sight  never 
to  be  seen  again  by  friend  or  kindred.  Some  were  in 
the  flush  of  youth  and  hope.  Some  left  young  brides ; 
others  the  burdened  wife  with  family  of  little  children. 
It  is  well  perhaps  that  we  cannot  look  in  upon  these 
bereaved  homes.  Knowlton's,  with  its  eight  children ; 
Capt.  Crosby's  with  six,  and  in  both  instances  a  child 
born  after  the  decease  of  its  father.  This  captain  of 
ours  was,  like  Capt.  Elliott,  a  man  of  sterling  char- 
acter, who  had  represented  the  town  at  the  General 
Court  in  1775.  His  little  son  Stephen,  not  four  years 
old,  remembered  through  life  his  opening  the  gate 
for  his  father  as  he  rode  out  for  the  last  time,  and  his 
"  God  bless  you,  my  son,"  as  he  stooped  from  his 
saddle.  And  there  were  many  more  equally  dear  and 
precious  buried  where  they  fell  in  New  York  and 
Jersey.     No  sending  home  of  loved  remains. 

"  'Tis  little,  but  it  looks  in  truth 
As  if  the  quiet  bones  were  blest 
Amid  familiar  scenes  to  rest, 
And  in  the  places  of  its  youth." 

But  even  this  small  consolation  was  denied  the 
Revolutionary  soldier,  and  even  in  many  cases  a  stone 
to  mark  his  burial  place.     Even   when  he  died  at 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  115 

home  the  memorial  stone  was  withheld  or  long  de- 
layed. The  poverty  of  the  times  is  shown  by  this 
omission.  The  widow  with  her  little  ones,  the  aged 
parents  deprived  of  their  strong  sons,  could  not  afford 
the  cost.  But  their  memory  was  tenderly  cherished, 
and  years  after  their  decease  their  names  were  in- 
scribed on  the  stones  in  the  old  burying  ground  that 
marked  the  graves  of  wife  or  parent.  It  is  remark- 
able to  find  so  many  of  these  delayed  inscriptions  in 
our  own  Thompson  ground.  The  names  of  Captains 
Elliott  and  Crosby  appear  on  the  grave-stones  with 
their  widows,  who  had  survived  them  nearly  forty 
years.  The  names  of  two  and  even  three  sons  dying 
in  New  York  and  New  Jersey  are  carved  below  those 
of  aged  parents.  But  the  resting  place  of  those  who 
died  in  camp  or  fell  in  battle  was  seldom  known  to 
their  friends. 

Those  were  indeed  dark  days  alike  in  Jersey  camp 
and  Windham  County  farm-house.  The  soldier  in 
camp  and  hospital  was  burdened  with  anxieties  for 
those  at  home.  Heavy,  indeed,  were  the  cares  of 
those  wives  and  mothers.  Young  lads  were  called 
upon  to  bear  the  brunt  of  autumn  work  and  house- 
hold provision.  One  little  lad  in  Thompson,  only  six 
years  old,  remembered  vividly  through  life  his  trials 
in  going  after  the  cows  those  November  twilights,  his 
bare  feet  entangling  in  the  briars,  his  little  summer 
suit  of   towcloth  so  tattered  that  he  could  hardly 


116  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

hold  it  together  as  he  stumbled  about  the  rocky 
pasture. 

But  the  darkest  day  has  gleams  of  light.  Amid 
the  anxieties  and  distress  of  this  terrible  autumn 
came  the  most  ludicrous  episode  of  the  war ;  a  farce 
between  the  acts  of  a  sombre  tragedy.  Yet,  to  the 
actors  it  was  a  most  real  experience  and  illustrates 
one  of  the  most  trying  features  of  the  situation — iso- 
lation from  the  seat  of  war  and  difficulty  of  obtain- 
ing accurate  information.  It  occurred  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  Great  Elm,  in  what  was  called  the  "  South 
Neighborhood"  of  Thompson  Parish,  after  the  last 
call  for  militia.  The  army  had  been  driven  from 
New  York ;  British  fleets  were  in  the  Sound  threat- 
ening New  London  and  Providence  ;  affairs  were  in 
the  greatest  confusion  and  rumors  flew  thick  from 
every  quarter.  New  London  and  Providence  were 
burned ;  Connecticut  was  invaded ;  the  victorious 
British  might  be  expected  to  sweep  through  the 
State  at  any  moment.  Besides  these  general  dan- 
gers this  section  was  haunted  by  a  special  bugbear. 

Eight  down  in  Brooklyn  the  Tory  and  churchman, 
Malbone,  owned  a  gang  of  negro  slaves,  and  just 
north  of  ThomiDSon  there  was  a  remnant  of  "  Paygan 
Injins  "  occupying  a  reservation.  Combustible  mate- 
rial was  kept  piled  up  on  conspicuous  hills  for  signal 
warning  in  case  of  attack,  and  a  kettle  of  tar  was 
suspended  from  the  cross-bar  of  the  Liberty  pole  on 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  117 

Killingly  Hill,  for  the  same  purpose.  A  single  spark 
of  rumor  lighted  all  these  combustibles.  A  post 
galloped  through  town  witliout  stopping  to  commu- 
nicate news,  and  a  saucy  boy  on  Dudley  Hill  had  his 
ears  boxed  by  a  suspected  Tory.  Quick  through  the 
town  flew  the  report  of  immediate  onset. 

"  The  Tor-ies  are  coming !  The  Tor-ies  are  com- 
ing," w^as  the  awe-struck  cry,  and  w^hen  it  reached 
the  elm  tree  the  tale  was  magnified  by  the  addition 
of  "  Malbone  Niggers  "  and  "  Paygan  Injins  "  burn- 
ing and  slaughtering  everything  before  them.  What 
a  terrible  prospect !  There  was  not  an  able-bodied 
man  in  the  corner.  Nothing  but  women  and  chil- 
dren, old-folks  and  invalids.  Panic,  dire,  unreason- 
ing, frenzied  panic  took  possession.  All  manner  of 
ridiculous  things  w^ere  said  and  done.  Concealment 
and  flight  seemed  the  only  course  of  action.  And 
so  the  neighbors,  old  and  young,  rushed  together 
and  started  off  pell-mell  for  a  bushy  swamp.  One 
woman  staid  behind — the  heroine  of  the  day.  I  am 
always  glad  to  relate  the  prowess  of  my  much  re- 
spected grandmother — Kebekah  (Wilkinson)  Larned 
— a  worthy  daughter  of  Liberty  and  Khode  Island. 
She  was  not  the  woman  to  desert  her  husband's  prop- 
erty, or  quail  before  Malbone  and  his  negroes.  Three 
young  children  and  her  husband's  aged  grandmother 
were  in  her  care.  Piling  w^ood  upon  the  ample  tire- 
place,  every  iron  implement  that  could  be  mustered 


118  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

was  thrust  into  the  blazing  coals,  and  from  every 
hook  on  the  crane  a  kettle  of  water  was  suspended, 
and  had  the  foe  appeared  he  would  have  met  a  hot 
reception  from  fire  and  tongue.  In  vain  did  the  fu- 
gitives send  beseeching  pleas.  "  Tell  Becky,"  they 
whimpered,  "  hot  irons  wil]  never  do  for  the  British." 
In  vain  did  they  urge  the  aged  grandmother — the 
widow  of  Justice  Joseph  Leavens — to  share  their 
flight.  Her  faith  surpassed  her  fears,  and  sinking 
back  into  her  chimney  corner  she  meekly  murmured 
— "  If  I  aim  to  be  killed  by  the  Tor-ies  to-night  why 
thea  I  shall  he,  so  I'll  een  stay  with  Becky." 

But  Tory  and  negro  alike  failed  to  materialize. 
The  great  alarm  proved  a  mere  fizzle,  but  coming  as 
it  did  on  those  anxious  days,  it  served  a  most  admir- 
able purpose.  All  the  ridiculous  sayings  and  doings 
of  the  terrified  were  remembered  and  reproduced 
with  the  vividness  of  instantaneous  photograph.  We 
see  Sam.  Cheese  ramming  down  bullets  into  his  mus- 
ket without  any  powder  ;  and  poor,  old,  palsied  Capt. 
Merriam,  with  pitchfork  quivering  in  his  hands,  as  he 
tried  to  guard  and  hold  the  house  door.  We  catch 
the. sly  gleam  in  the  eye  of  the  bedridden  granny, 
forgotten  and  left  behind  in  the  flurry,  who  had  man- 
aged to  crawl  out  of  bed  and  stow  herself  away  in  a 
cupboard.  We  hear  the  plaintive  voice  of  poor  old 
hobbling  Uncle  Asa  on  his  way  to  the  swamp — 
"Thithter,  thithter,  I've   forgot  my  thin  plathter," 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  119 

and  the  sister's  brusque  rejoinder,  "  Come  along,  Asa, 
you'll  never  dress  your  shins  again  in  this  world,'' 
while  Aunt  Nabhy  voiced  the  general  desire  in  her 
heartfelt  ejaculation — "I'd  give  a  Avedge  of  goold  as 
big  as  my  foot  for  one  good  dram.r  It  is  truly  re- 
freshing to  learn  that  these  much  tried  sufferers  had 
so  legitimate  a  cause  for  merriment,  even  if  it  is  a 
little  hard  on  the  panic-stricken  subjects. 

Probably  the  scarcity  of  Tories  in  AYindham  County 
invested  them  Avith  abnormal  terror.  In  other  parts 
of  the  State  they  were  sufficiently  obvious,  but  here 
they  were  too  few  to  assert  themselves.  Poor  Col. 
Fitch,  now  deprived  of  his  official  position,  sat  soli- 
tary in  his  suspected  mansion,  barely  supplied  with 
the  every  day  necessities  of  life.  Dr.  Walton,  of 
Killingly,  a  bitter  Tor}^,  who  once  presumed  to  hide 
a  wounded  British  officer  in  his  house,  dared  not  open 
his  mouth.  Hannah  Miller,  fleeing  from  Boston  "  as 
from  a  nest  of  hornets  to  the  happy  and  peaceful 
town  of  Pomfret,"  with  a  hogshead  of  rum  and  tierce 
of  coffee  for  subsistence,  was  obliged  to  give  proof 
of  her  loyalty  to  the  patriot  cause  before  she  could 
settle  down  to  the  consumption  of  her  rum  and  coffee. 
Col.  Malbone,  chevalier  and  churchman,  with  his 
"  church  parson  and  gang  of  negro  slaves,"  felt  con- 
strained to  observe  extreme  quiet,  and  restrict  church 
service  and  prayers  for  the  king  to  his  private  resi- 
dence.    The  saddest  home  in  Windham  County  was 


120  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

that  of  Nathan  Frink,  Pomfret's  dashing-  young- 
lawyer  and  excise  officer,  who,  after  attempting  to  act 
with  the  patriots,  turned  squarely  against  them  and 
entered  the  British  army.  His  aged  parents  went 
down  unto  the  grave  mourning,  and  a  large  circle  of 
relatives  was  overwhelmed  with  grief  and  mortifica- 
tion. The  August  of  1777  brought  grief  to  many 
hearts  in  the  death  of  Woodstock's  beloved  pastor, 
Rev.  Abiel  Leonard,  D.  D.  Mr.  Leonard  had  won 
much  favor  among  his  own  people  and  the  churches 
of  the  county  before  his  acceptance  of  the  chaplaincy 
of  Putnam's  regiment.  Here  he  achieved  still  greater 
popularity,  his  eloquent  and  patriotic  discourses  ex- 
citing much  admiration.  He  may  be  said  to  have 
been  the  father  of  "Army  Literature" — "a  prayer 
composed  for  the  benefit  of  the  soldiers  in  the  Ameri- 
can army  to  assist  them  in  their  private  devotions," 
and  printed  in  a  tract  of  nine  pages,  is  noted  as  the 
first  attempt  in  this  line.  Washington's  letter  to  the 
Woodstock  church  may  Avell  be  forever  associated 
with  the  memory  of  this  honored  pastor,  viz. : 

"  To  the  Churcli  and  Congregation  at  Woodstock  : 

Mr.  Leonard  is  a  man  whose  exemplary  life  and  conversation 
must  make  him  highly  esteemed  by  every  person  who  has  the 
pleasure  of  being  acquainted  with  him.  It  therefore  can  be  no 
surprise  to  us  to  hear  they  are  loth  to  part  with  him  His  in- 
fluence in  the  army  is  great.  He  is  employed  in  the  glorious 
work  of  attending  to  the  morals  of  a  brave  people  who  are  fight- 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  1  '1 1 

ing  for  their  liberties— tlie  liberties  of  the  people  of  Woodstock 
— the  liberty  of  all  America.  We  therefore  hope  that,  knowing 
how  nobly  he  is  employed,  the  congregation  of  Woodstock  will 
cheerfully  give  up  to  the  public  a  gentleman  so  very  useful. 
And  when,  by  the  blessing  of  a  kind  Providence,  this  glorious 
and  unparalleled  struggle  for  our  liberties  is  at  an  end,  we  have 
not  the  least  doubt  but  Mr.  Leonard  will,  with  redoubled  joy, 
be  received  in  the  open  arms  of  a  congregation  so  very  dear  to 
him  as  the  good  people  of  Woodstock  are. 

This  is  what  is  hoped  for — this  is  what  is  expected,  by  the 
congregation  of  Woodstock's  sincere  well  wishers  and  very 
humble  servants, 

George  Washington, 
Israel  Putnam. 

Head  Quarters,  Cambridge,  } 
24th  of  March,  1776."        \ 

Washington's  kind  hope  for  the  happy  return  of 
the  beloved  x^astor  to  his  flock  at  the  close  of  the 
war  was  not  destined  for  fulfillment,  and  the  circum- 
stances attending'  his  death  left  a  cloud  upon  his 
memory.  Dying  at  Danbury,  on  his  way  home  from 
the  army,  from  wounds  received  by  his  own  hand, 
the  real  facts  were  not  ascertained  by  his  friends. 
The  story  as  handed  down  in  Woodstock,  upon  what 
seemed  creditable  authority,  represented  him  as  hav- 
ing overstaid  a  furlough,  on  account  of  the  serious  ill- 
ness of  his  child — and  that  on  his  way  back  to  camp 
he  was  met  hy  the  tidings  that  he  had  been  censured 
and  dismissed  from  his  position.  Keenly  sensitive 
to  public  opinion  he  could   not  endure  this  disgrace, 


122  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

and  attempted  suicide.  A  letter  recently  come  to 
light,  from  Dea.  Jedidiah  Morse — the  honored  father 
of  an  illustrious  house — gives  the  true  facts  and 
complete  vindication.  It  was  addressed  to  President 
Wheelock,  Dartmouth  College,  immediately  after  the 
tidings  of  his  decease  had  reached  them,  18  Aug. 
1777.  He  gives  "  a  short,  exact,  but  very  melancholy 
account  of  the  death  of  his  dear  minister ; "  of  his 
being  "  as  much  set  by  in  the  army  by  Gen.  Wash- 
ington and  other  officers  "  as  any  man  in  the  service ; 
of  having  a  present  of  three  hundred  dollars  made 
him  by  Congress  for  special  services,  and  that  after 
receiving  liberty  from  his  people  to  continue  in  the 
army  he  thought  prudent  to  take  the  small-pox  by 
inoculation,  which  detained  him  sometime  and  left 
him  in  a  poor  state  of  health.  That  he  then  returned 
to  the  army  in  the  Jerseys  ;  took  a  tour  to  Philadel- 
phia, where  he  preached  before  Congress  to  their 
great  satisfaction ;  met  with  the  Presbytery  and  had 
the  honorary  title  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  conferred 
upon  him.  But  during  this  time  he  was  observed 
"  to  be  melancholy  and  cast  down,  and  mind  and 
senses  greatly  disordered."  On  this  Sunday  he  at- 
tended public  worship,  and  went  to  bed  apparently 
as  well  as  usual,  but  an  unusual  noise  in  his  chamber 
aroused  the  people  of  the  house  and  they  found  him 
in  his  gore,  his  throat  cut  but  not  dead.  He  was 
able  in  a  few  days  to  bear  removal  to  Danbury,  but 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  123 

the  heat  of  the  weather  and  raging  of  his  wound 
were  too  much  for  him  and  he  passed  away  August 
14th. 

Melancholia  caused  by  nervous  exhaustion  un- 
doubtedly led  to  this  unhappy  act  so  much  misunder- 
stood even  by  his  own  dear  people.  We  have  great 
reason  for  gratitude  to  Dea.  Morse  for  leaving  us  the 
inmost  details  of  this  sad  end  to  a  brilliant  career — 
and  clearing  the  character  of  a  devoted  and  self- 
sacrificing  patriot.  In  this  instance  there  Avas  no 
deliberate  attempt  to  blacken  character  and  depreci- 
ate service  as  there  has  been  with  others.  It  is  bad 
enough  to  malign  the  living  in  the  heat  of  political 
controversy,  but  they  have  a  chance  to  correct  and 
live  down  misrepresentation  ;  but  in  cold  blood  to 
pick  to  pieces  and  tear  down  the  reputation  of  public 
men  who  did  their  best  in  times  of  difficulty  and 
danger,  is  most  dastardly  and  ungrateful.  We  do 
not  claim  perfection  for  our  dead  heroes — the  best 
of  men  are  only  human.  But  even  indiscriminate 
hero-worship  is  better  than  hero-demolition.  The 
great  men  who  have  helped  in  any  way  to  make  our 
country  what  it  is  are  our  best  heritage,  and  we  can- 
not afford  to  have  them  belittled  or  taken  away  from 
us  by  this  spirit  of  carping  criticism. 

We,  as  Windham  County  people,  have  great  reason 
to  complain  of  the  treatment  our  own  Putnam  has 
received  at  the  hands  of  rivals  and  critics.     Perhaps 


124  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

the  most  remarkable  specimen  in  this  line  is  the  state- 
ment recently  made  by  one  of  these  self-appointed 
critics  in  the  New  York  Sun  :  "  That  Gen.  Putnam  has 
neither  lateral  nor  lineal  descendant  living,  although 
a  few  families  claim  without  any  foundation  such  de- 
scent." If  other  charges  against  our  old  hero  are 
equally  baseless  we  can  afford  to  let  them  slide. 

The  summer  of  1778  brought  many  Windham 
County  homes  into  close  connection  with  the  front 
through  Sullivan's  Ehode  Island  campaign.  An  at- 
tempt was  made  in  concert  with  the  newly-arrived 
French  fleet  to  drive  the  British  army  from  Newport 
and  Rhode  Island.  Windham  County  was  called  upon 
to  furnish  all  the  aid  in  her  power — ammunition, 
cartridges,  provisions  for  man  and  beast,  and  above 
all,  with  soldiers.  A  Windham  County  company  was 
stationed  on  this  field  for  the  j^ear,  and  companies  of 
her  militia  served  at  different  periods.  My  maternal 
great-uncle,  Theodore  Gay,  went  out  for  his  first 
campaign,  with  one  of  these  companies.  Though 
living  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Great  Elm,  my  grand- 
father's family  had  not  shared  in  that  memorable 
alarm.  The  good  deacon  and  his  three  oldest  sons 
were  indeed  absent  in  service,  but  Joseph  and  Theo- 
dore, though  only  seventeen  and  fifteen  years  of  age, 
felt  quite  equal  to  the  situation.  But  they  did  not 
trust  in  carnal  bullets,  nor  even  in  hot  water  and 
irons.     Going  on  with  their  usual  day's  work,  they 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  125 

then  proceeded  with  the  "  nightly  chores,"  and  after 
supper  sat  down  in  the  big  kitchen  with  grandmother, 
mother,  and  sister,  read  comforting  w^ords  from  the 
great  family  Bible,  and  offered  the  accustomed  even- 
ing prayer.  Two  of  the  brothers  died  that  autumn 
in  Jersey,  and  now  the  bright  young  Theodore,  God's 
latest,  best  gift  to  the  household,  w^as  sacrificed  to  the 
Rhode  Island  campaign.  A  terrible  norther  swept 
down  at  the  beginning  of  the  action,  drove  the  French 
fleet  far  south,  and  rendered  futile  months  of  careful 
preparation.  Many  of  our  soldiers  died  from  the 
effect  of  cold  and  exposure,  never  seen  again  by  those 
at  home  who  had  sent  them  out  so  cheerily. 

Another  calamity,  greatly  afflicting  many  Wind- 
ham County  homes  that  same  discouraged  1778,  was 
the  Indian  massacre  at  Wyoming,  Penn.  Some  of 
the  most  enterprising  and  promising  young  men  in  a 
number  of  towns  had  taken  their  families  to  this 
beautiful  valley,  and  w^ere  among  the  victims  of  In- 
dian barbarity.  Conflicting  rumors  brought  to  Con- 
necticut homes  w^ere  followed  by  w^eeks  of  anxious 
suspense,  and  then  by  the  arrival  of  hapless  widows, 
foot-sore  and  destitute,  with  orphan  families  of  eight, 
ten,  and,  in  the  case  of  Mrs.  Esther  Minor  Yorke,  of 
Yoluntown,  twelve  children. 

But  enough  of  loss  and  disaster.  There  is  a 
brighter  side  to  the  picture.  There  are  gleams  of 
light  behind  the  clouds.  As  years  passed  on  and  it 
11* 


126  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

became  increasingly  evident  that  the  colonies  could 
not  be  broug-ht  under  subjection  to  the  British  yoke, 
hope  revived  in  patriot  hearts.  If  in  some  cases  the 
war  wrought  demoralization,  in  a  far  greater  num- 
ber it  stimulated  energy,  courage,  self-reliance,  self- 
sacrifice.  With  unfailing  constancy  our  Windham 
County  towns  kept  up  their  quotas  of  soldiers  and 
supplies.  Lads  who  had  so  faithfully  helped  their 
mothers  in  home  and  farm,  grew  up  to  take  their 
father's  place  in  camp  and  council.  It  was  a  time  of 
rapid  quickening  and  development.  How  it  brought 
out  the  stamina  of  our  women.  We  mourn  over  the 
comparative  inconspicuousness  of  the  Pilgrim  moth- 
ers ;  Ave  feel  they  do  not  receive  their  just  meed  of 
honor  and  remembrance.  Few  of  the  stately  colo- 
nial dames  are  brought  to  actual  knowledge.  Bat 
the  Eevolutionary  period  not  only  brings  to  personal 
recognition  Mary  and  Martha  Washington,  Abigail 
Adams,  Mercy  Warren,  Faith  Trumbull,  Lucretia 
Shaw,  and  the  honored  names  affixed  to  scores  of 
Chapters,  but  called  out  unsuspected  energy  and  fac- 
ulty in  thousands  of  humbler  homes.  The  soldier  on 
the  field  was  sustained  and  carried  forward  to  final 
victory  by  the  labor  and  symjiathy  of  the  woman  in 
the  home.  How  bravely  they  bore  the  heavy  bur- 
dens brought  upon  them.  We  see  them  caring  for 
their  stock,  carrying  on  their  farms,  making  the  hsij, 
gathering  tlieir  own  supply  of   fuel,  manufacturing 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  127 

cloth,  preparing  their  own  tea  and  molasses,  besides 
attending"  to  everyday  domestic  affairs  and  training 
their  children.  Women  trained  to  use  the  pen  were 
called  to  write  the  household  letters  for  less  favored 
sisters.  Some  special  feats  of  workmanship  are  re- 
ported. Mrs.  Elisha  Adams,  of  Brooklyn,  lays  down 
her  floor  and  finishes  her  apartment.  The  women  of 
Hampton,  assisted  by  a  lame  old  carpenter,  raised  the 
irame  and  assisted  in  building  a  large  two-story 
house  that  has  stood  the  wear  of  over  a  century. 
It  was  in  this  same  vicinity  that  a  suit  of  clothes 
was  evolved  from  a  sheep's  back  in  less  than  two 
days. 

The  son  came  home  in  rags,  and  the  sheep  was 
sheared  and  bundled  away  in  the  cellar,  while  its 
w^ool  was  spun,  woven,  and  made  up  into  a  substan- 
tial suit  of  clothes  in  time  for  the  young  soldier  to 
wear  back  to  camp  in  triumph.  Here,  too,  little  Mary 
Stedman,  the  ten-year-old  kinswoman  of  the  poet, 
Edmund  C.  Stedman ,  wrought  out  with  her  own  small 
:fingers  a  web  of  tow-cloth,  carding,  spinning,  and 
weaving,  exchanging  it  at  Windham  Green  for  a  set 
of  silver  tea-spoons,  now  held  as  priceless  heirlooms 
hy  her  descendants.  Among  the  thousand  private, 
beneficent  acts  called  out  by  the  exigencies  of  the 
time,  I  like  to  include  that  of  an  aged  widow,  in 
Thompson — Mrs.  Elisabeth  (Hosmer)  Alton — who 
kept  through  the  summer  a  barrel  of  freshly  brewed 


128  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

beer  on  tap  by  the  doorstep  for  the  especial  refresh- 
ment of  any  passing  soldier. 

A  somewhat  quixotic  expedition  gave  me  a  glimpse 
of  two  Revolutionary  homes  under  rather  peculiar 
aspect.  The  friend  who  enticed  me  had  the  good  for- 
tune to  grow  up  at  the  feet  of  a  great-grandmother, 
and  was  particularly  impressed  by  her  j^earnings  for 
the  scene  of  her  early  married  life,  in  a  remote  cor- 
ner of  Woodstock,  where  she  had  reared  and  buried 
children,  and  so  a  century  later  we  started  off  to 
visit  this  "  old  Bolles  homestead."  We  had  some 
difficulty  in  finding  anyone  to  direct  us  in  our  search, 
but  after  w^e  had  fairly  recovered  the  trail,  and  the 
old  house  came  in  view,  it  was  wonderful  how  the 
old  stories  of  her  youth  came  back  to  my  companion  : 

"  O,  there's  the  great  house  fronting  south  just  as  grandmother 
described  it,  and  there  is  the  very  same  great  stone  doorstep 
where  she  stood  parleying  witli  the  officers  who  had  come  to 
search  for  a  deserter.  He  was  a  poor,  little,  young  fellow  from 
the  neighborhood  and  had  fared  so  hard  they  all  pitied  him,  and 
so  grandmother  talked  with  the  officers  on  the  doorstep  while  he 
slunk  out  of  the  pantry  window.  Why,  don't  you  see  in  that 
little  projection  at  the  end  of  the  house  there's  the  very  window 
and  he  ran  down  the  hill  to  this  same  bridge  we  are  crossing  and 
then  up  the  hill  on  the  other  side,  running  backward  through  the 
snow  so  as  to  muddle  up  the  track  to  a  house  right  over  the  hill. 
Why,  there's  the  roof  and  chimney  of  that  very  house,  and  he 
•went  in  there  and  flung  himself  down  before  old  Goody  Blake 
who  was  spinning  at  her  wheel  and  begged  her  to  save  him  from 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  129 

the  officers  in  pursuit.  Well  slie  had  had  wild  boys  of  her  own 
and  knew  how  to  feel  for  him,  so  she  just  raised  a  trap-door  and 
stowed  him  away  under  the  floor,  and  spreading  a  rug  over  the 
door  set  her  spinning-wheel  upon  it  and  when  the  officers  came 
on  there  she  was  spinning  away  at  her  wheel  and  innocently 
humming  a  psalm  tune." 

In  these  later  years,  as  the  armies  moved  south- 
ward, there  T\'as  less  immediate  connection  and  per- 
sonal communication  with  the  seat  of  war.  Our  lit- 
tle Ephraim  Cutler,  who,  sleeping  in  bed  with  his 
grandfather,  caught  the  first  echo  of  "  the  shot  heard 
round  the  world,"  now  enlightened  the  neighborhood 
at  Killingly  Hill  by  reading  aloud  "The  New  Lon- 
don Gazette  "  every  Sabbath  noon.  The  house  would 
be  filled  with  elderly  people,  mothers  and  grand- 
fathers, anxious  to  hear  the  news.  One  of  the  most 
harrowing  days  during  the  whole  period  was  that 
Thursday  afternoon  in  1781,  when  residents  of  the 
south  part  of  the  county  heard  the  roar  of  the  can- 
non and  saw  the  flames  of  consuming  New  London. 
Men  hastened  to  the  scene  and  saw  with  their  own 
eyes  the  terrible  butchery  and  destruction,  more 
dreadful  from  the  thought  that  one  of  their  own  fa- 
vored sons  had  been  most  active  in  this  outrage. 

Aside  from  this  terrible  experience  and  other  New 
London  and  Ehode  Island  alarms,  there  was  less  dis- 
tress and  suffering  during  these  closing  years.  For 
one  thing,  suppHes  were  more  plentiful.     Success  in 


130  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

privateering  brought  to  New  London  West  India 
goods  and  even  articles  of  luxury.  And  these  goods 
were  so  carried  about  through  the  country  that  a 
bridal  outfit  was  no  longer  limited  to  homespun. 
One  glimpse  in  this  line  we  leave  with  you  for  a  part- 
ing picture. 

A  young  girl  in  Pomfret  is  musing  upon  the  ques- 
tion of  a  wedding  dress — a  lovely  young  girl  with  a 
face  of  rare  promise  and  character — among  whose 
numerous  descendants  are  Mrs.  Louise  Chandler 
Moulton  and  Mrs.  Caroline  Fairfield  Corbin.  She 
knows  the  difficulty  of  the  times,  the  scantiness  of 
money  and  the  many  demands  upon  the  father's 
purse,  but  a  suitable  dress  for  this  supreme  occasion 
in  a  young  girl's  life  she  must  have.  A  peddler  comes 
along  Avith  heavy  packs.  No  matter  where  he  got  his 
goods  :  they  are  wonderful — and  among  them  is  the 
most  beautiful  piece  of  dainty  pink  satin  that  ever 
gladdened  the  eyes  of  prospective  bride.  She  glances 
at  the  gruff  old  father,  puzzling  with  knotted  brow 
over  his  accounts.  She  does  not  dare  to  ask  the 
favor,  but  the  satin  must  be  hers.  Gathering  around 
her  the  glistening  folds  she  steals  across  the  room, 
and  kneeling  at  her  father's  feet,  looks  up  with  plead- 
ing eyes.  And  the  grim  old  father  catches  on.  With- 
out a  word  spoken  on  either  side  he  unlocks  his 
desk  and  puts  in  his  daughter's  hand  forty  silver 
dollars,  and  the  dainty  pink  satin  soon  figures  at  the 


REVOLUTIONARY    ECHOES.  131 

marriag-e  feast  as  the  bride's  gown  and  the  bride- 
groom's waistcoat.  And  so,  after  our  many  sombre 
pictures,  we  leave  you  with  this  gladsome  tableau- 
vivant,  typifying,  we  believe,  the  happy  days  that 
w^ere  in  store  for  the  young  republic,  when,  after  the 
long,  w^eary  struggle,  came  the  blessing  of  assured 
peace  and  perfected  Union. 

"  Thou  too  sail  on,  O  ship  of  State, 
Sail  on  O  Union,  strong  and  great  .  .  . 
Our  hearts,  our  hopes,  our  prayers,  our  tears, 
Our  faith,  triumphant  o'er  our  fears, 
Are  all  with  thee,  are  all  with  thee." 


V. 


WINDHAM  COUNTY  AND  PEOYIDENCE. 

The  capital  of  Ehode  Island  and  this  northeast 
corner  of  Connecticut  have  held  close  and  continuous 
relations.  And  even  before  there  was  a  Providence 
or  a  Windham  County,  before  a  sectional  boundary 
line  had  crossed  the  face  of  New  England  territory 
and  its  fields  and  forests  lay  open  to  wild  beasts  and 
wilder  savages,  these  sections  held  continuous  com- 
j  munication.  The  Narragansetts  claimed  right  to 
territory  east  of  the  Quinebaug  river.  The  great 
lake  —  Chan-bon-a-gong-a-monk  (bound-mark)  now 
in  Webster — marked  the  bound  between  sea-board 
Narragansetts  and  inland  Nipmucks,  dwelling  in 
Nipnet — the  pond  or  fresh  water  country.  The 
stronger  Narragansetts  held  in  close  subjection  the 
feeble  clans  or  tribelets  of  Nipmucks.  Tradition 
preserved  but  one  instance  of  successful  revolt,  inter- 
esting to  us  as  showing  the  early  date  of  that  peculiar 
Rhode  Island  institution — the  original,  aboriginal, 
perennial  clmiibake. 

The  Nipmuck  tributaries  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake 
Mashapaug  (now  Alexander's)  were  invited  to  partake 
of  a  shore  dinner  of  shell-fish,  which  it  need  hardly 


WINDHAM    COUNTY    AND    PROVIDENCE.        133 

be  said  they  devoured  with  great  relish.  Bat  when 
their  hosts  in  due  time  returned  the  visit,  nothing 
was  offered  them  but  lamprey  eels  served  without 
dressing.  The  daintier  Narragansetts  scoffed  at  this 
plain  fare  and  a  free  fight  followed,  in  which  but  two 
of  the  Narragansetts  were  s^oared  to  carry  back  the 
tale  of  insult  and  defeat.  A  band  of  warriors  was 
straightway  sent  up  to  avenge  their  brethren,  but 
were  again  forced  to  quail  before  the  arrows  of  the 
entrenched  and  triumphant  Nipmucks,  and  retired 
from  the  field,  leaving  their  dead  behind  them.  The 
bodies  of  the  slain  were  interred  in  deep  pits  at  the 
junction  of  the  Quinebaug  and  Assawaga  rivers,  a 
spot  still  known  as  "the  Indian  Burying  Ground," 
in  Danielson,  where  many  Indian  relics  have  been 
unearthed.  The  name  Aspinock,  designating  the 
Quinebaug  valley  near  Lake  Mashapaug,  is  transla- 
ted by  J.  Hammond  Trumbull — "an  eating  place," 
and  may  have  received  its  name  from  this  encounter^ 
which  surviving  Nipmucks  detailed  to  the  first  white 
settlers.  The  Narragansetts  would  doubtless  have 
given  a  very  different  version. 

After  settlement  by  the  whites,  and  particularly 
after  the  Uncas  claim  to  Mohegan  and  Wabbaquasset 
countries  had  been  allowed  by  the  Government  of 
Connecticut,  the  Narragansetts  found  it  difiicult  to 
maintain  their  footing  within  Connecticut  lines. 
Moosup,  alias  Pessacus,  a  war-like  chieftain,  brother 

12 


184  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

to  Miantonomo,  affixed  his  name  to  the  largest  branch 
of  the  Quinebaug,  and  struggled  manfully  to  retain 
the  Quinebaug  country  now  included  in  the  towns  of 
Plainfield  and  Canterbury,  but  according  to  Eoger 
Williams,  in  1668,  the  Nipmucks  had  then  for  a  long 
time  renounced  allegiance  to  the  Narragansetts,  and 
the  border-land  between  Connecticut  and  Ehode 
Island  was  but  a  patch  of  ground,  full  of  troublesome 
inhabitants,  sandy,  stony,  and  scarce  worth  fighting 
for.  During  King  Philip's  war  these  inhabitants 
sought  shelter  at  the  headquarters  of  their  respective 
tribes,  and  the  barren  patch  was  made  more  waste 
by  ravages  of  roving  bands,  carrying  off  all  the  corn 
and  swine  that  could  be  found  therein.  Its  first  white 
Providence  visitants  were  a  company  under  Capt. 
Nathaniel  Thomas,  who  scoured  the  country  far  and 
wide  in  pursuit  of  the  fugitive  King  Philip.  The 
night  of  August  3, 1675,  they  reached  the  second  fort 
in  the  Nipmuck  country,  called  by  the  Indians — Wap- 
o-sosh-e-quash — AVabbaquasset,  a  mile  west  of  the 
present  Woodstock  Hill.  Capt.  Thomas  reports — "  a 
very  good  inland  country,  well  Avatered  with  rivers 
and  brooks:  special  good  land,  great  quantities  of 
special  good  corn  and  beans,  and  stately  wigwams  as 
I  never  saw  the  like."  These  wigwams  were  built 
under  the  direction  of  one  of  the  Apostle  Elliott's 
Indian  preachers,  Sampson,  and  bear  striking  testi- 
mony to  the  success  of  his  faithful  labors. 


WINDHAM  COUNTY  AND  PROVIDENCE.   135 

Within  ten  years  after  the  visit  of  Capt.  Thomas 
and  the  close  of  the  war  the  fertile  fields  of  "Wabba- 
quasset  had  been  appropriated  by  our  sharp-sighted 
sister,  Massaclinsetts,  and  a  flourishing-  colony  from 
Roxbury  had  planted  the  town  of  Woodstock. 
Though  bound  by  ties  of  allegiance  and  blood  to  1 
Boston,  these  Woodstock  settlers  soon  found  them- 
selves drawn  to  the  nearer  market  at  Providence, 
and  one  of  their  first  public  acts,  after  formal  town 
organization,  was  a  vote  "To  be  at  the  charge  of 
making  a  way  unto  the  cedar  swamp  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Quinebaug  River  for  a  road  to  Provi- 
dence— Benjamin  Sabin  to  do  the  work  and  Peter 
Aspinwall  if  he  can't  do  it."  Our  friend  Peter  ac- 
complished the  work  in  the  course  of  a  few  years, 
making  a  narrow  way  suitable  for  foot  or  horseback 
travel.  The  greater  part  of  this  way  ran  through 
the  outlands  of  the  distant  town,  as  yet  a  barren  wil- 
derness, with  only  here  and  there  the  cabin  of  some 
hardy  pioneer,  furnishing  food  and  shelter  for  man 
and  beast. 

As  Pomfret,  Killinglj^,  and  other  Connecticut 
towns  struggled  into  being,  they  too  claimed  the 
privilege  of  better  communication  with  Providence, 
and  selectmen  from  the  new  towns  joined  with  those 
of  Woodstock  in  petitioning  Providence  town  coun- 
cil to  help  at  their  end  of  the  work.  Committees 
from  Killingly,  Pomfret,  and  Woodstock  were  chosen 


136  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

to  meet  at  snu  an  hour  high,  October  3,  1710,  "  To 
state  a  place  over  the  Quinebaug  River  most  commo- 
dious for  a  bridge  to  meet  the  prospective  highway," 
but  ten  years  passed  before  road  or  bridge  was  ac- 
complished. The  southerly  towns  gained  first  the 
]  right  of  way.  Travel  from  Norwich  and  "Windham 
passed  through  Plainfield  over  the  "  old  Greenwich 
Path,"  an  Indian  trail  "  trod  out "  by  early  Xarragan- 
sett  claimants. 

The  General  Assembly  of  Rhode  Island  and  Provi- 
dence Plantations  met  this  need  by  voting  in  1711, 
that  a  highway  should  be  laid  out  through  Provi- 
dence, Warwick,  and  West  Greenwich  to  Plainfield. 
Representations  were  made  to  the  General  Assembly 
of  Connecticut  that  travelers  to  the  westward  from 
Boston  and  Providence,  met  with  great  difficulty  and 
were  exposed  to  great  danger  for  w^ant  of  a  suitable 
country  road  through  Plainfield  and  on  to  the  col- 
ony. The  famous  journal  of  Madam  Knight,  1704, 
gives  a  most  graphic  picture  of  the  condition  of  the 
roads,  and  the  discomforts  experienced  in  traveling 
from  Boston  to  New  York,  through  Connecticut  and 
the  Narragansett  Country  at  that  date.  Our  colony 
promptly  responded  to  Rhode  Island's  suggestion. 
A  committee  was  appointed ;  land  was  freely  given 
by  Plainfield  proprietors,  and  a  good  and  sufficient 
causeway  was  constructed  four  rods  wide  and  eight 
rods  wide  at  intervals  for  the  convenience  of  loaded 


WINDHAM  COUNTY  AND  PROVIDENCE.   187 

carts  in  passing  each  other.  A  safe  and  sufficient 
bridge  was  thrown  over  the  Moosiip,  and  canoes  x^ro- 
vided  for  transit  over  the  turbulent  and  formidable 
Quinebaug.  This  improved  and  convenient  highway 
became  a  popular  thoroughfare,  greatl}^  facilitating 
communication  between  Boston  and  Providence  and 
New  York,  called  the  best  and  nearest  route  that  had 
then  been  opened  between  those  business  centres, 
and  aiding  much  in  the  development  of  these  towns__ 
and  the  intervening  country.  Eastern  Connecticut 
now  found  in  Providence  her  nearest  market  and  | 
base  of  supplies.  The  boundary  quarrel  that  raged  j 
so  fiercely  in  the  vicinity  of  Pawcatuck  river  was 
confined  to  southern  sections,  and  pleasant,  neigh- 
borly intercourse  was  constantly  maintained  between 
Windham,  Plainfield,  and  Canterbury  settlers  and 
their  favorite  market  town.  _. 

The  northerly  road,  through  Pomfret  and  Kil- 
lingly,  was  much  behind  time  in  construction,  mainly 
because  it  was  carried  through  by  the  towns  apart 
from  Government  aid.  Peter  Aspinwall's  bridle-path 
was  long  the  only  means  of  communication,  even 
barrels  of  rum  having  to  be  brought  up  on  horse- 
back lashed  on  trees  and  dragged  behind  the  rider. 
The  road  was  finally  accomplished  under  the  super- 
vision of  NathauieLSessioiLS,  of  Pomfret,  who  drove 
the  first  cart  over  it  to  Providence  in  1721.  His  son, 
Darius,   future   deputy-governor   of   Rhode   Island, 

12* 


138  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

then  ten  years  old,  may  be  said  figuratively  to  have 
driven  in  the  last  spike — the  youngster  claiming  the 
honor  of  conducting  the  oxen  into  the  town.  In  the 
following  year  the  long-coveted  bridge  was  placed 
over  the  Quinebaug  at  the  High  Falls  (now  in  Put- 
nam) by  Capt.  John  Sabin. 

With  these  two  important  thoroughfares  open  to 
the  public,  intercourse  between  the  inhabitants  of  the 
neighboring  colonies  became  more  and  more  frequent 
and  friendly.  Heavy  carts  laden  with  country  pro- 
duce ;  horse-back  riders  with  pillion  and  saddle-bag ; 
foot-travelers  with  packs,  way  worn  and  weary,  were 
ever  passing  to  and  fro.  Hartford  might  be  the 
political  centre  of  these  Connecticut  towns,  but 
Providence  drew  them  by  the  stronger  ties  of  business 
j___  relations  and  social  affinities. 

And  yet  from  the  outset  there  was  a  radical  differ- 
ence between  a  Ehode  Islander  and  a  Connecticut 
man.  The  Khode  Islander  affected  white  corn ;  a 
golden  yellow  was  the  true  hue  for  Connecticut.  A 
Ehode  Islander  might  go  to  church  and  build  a  house 
of  worship  if  he  fancied — the  Connecticut  man  was 
compelled  by  law  to  build  a  meeting-house  and  go  to 
meeting.  It  is  a  little  amusing  to  read  in  some  local 
town  history  the  glorifications  over  these  "  good  men 
who  in  their  oAvn  poverty  and  scarceness  made  imme- 
diate provision  for  public  worship,  &c."  Of  course 
they  did  this,  and  in  the  majority  of  cases  did  it  freely 


WINDHAM  COUNTY  AND  PROVIDENCE.   189 

and  heartily,  and  yet  the  truth  remains  that  the  law 
compelled  them  to  do  it,  and  they  risked  the  loss  of 
their  township  bj^  failure.  Woodstock,  unable  by  the 
difficulties  of  Sir  Edward  Andros'  administration  to 
build  their  house  and  settle  a  minister  promptly,  felt 
constrained  to  make  most  humble  acknowledgment 
for  being  in  some  respects  "  out  of  capacity ;"  and 
beg  the  General  Court  "  that  the  great  overturns  that 
had  been  might  excuse  this  omission."  The  patent 
of  Killingly,  granted  in  1708,  expressly  provided 
"  That  no  person  now  inhabiting  on  said  land,  or  any 
other  persons  dwelling  without  this  colonic  who  have 
purchased  any  lands  within  the  said  township,  that 
shall  not  give  due  obedience  to  all  the  laws  of  the 
colonic  for  the  upholding  the  worship  of  God  pay- 
ing of  all  public  charges  shall  have  no  benefit  by 
this  act."  The  redundance  of  negatives  makes  this 
injunction  more  emphatic. 

Trained  from  infancy  to  consider  the  stated  estab- 
lishment of  religious  worship  as  the  first  and  chief 
duty  of  state  and  town  Government,  it  is  not  surpris- 
ing that  our  Windham  County  visitoi'S  and  sojourn - 
-ers  should  be  scandalized  and  grieved  at  Eh  ode 
Island's  destitution.  As  this  lack  of  ministers  and 
meeting-houses  became  more  apparent  with  increas- 
ing intercourse,  their  hearts  were  moved  to  mission- 
ary efforts  in  their  behalf,  and  in  1722,  the  year  that 
the  Quinebaug  bridge  was  erected,  a  petition  was 


140  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

sent  to  the  General  Assembly  of  Connecticut,  praying 
that  a  brief  might  be  granted  in  several  congrega- 
tions, gathering  contributions  from  such  as  were 
piously  inclined  tow^rrds  introducing  and  carrying  on 
the  ministry  of  the  Gospel  in  the  town  of  Providence. 
The  Governor  and  Council  graciously  granted  this 
request  and  a  brief  was  sent  out,  directed  to  minister  or 
deacon  of  a  number  of  eastern  Connecticut  churches, 
including  those  in  Windham,  Canterbury,  Plainfield, 
Pomfret,  and  Killingly,  empowering  them  to  make 
collection  for  this  purpose.  This  missionary  move- 
ment in  behalf  of  benighted  Providence  had  been 
set  on  foot  by  some  zealous  ministers  of  Massachu- 
setts, who  addressed  a  letter  to  the  deputy-governor 
and  other  eminent  men  of  Providence,  in  which,  after 
commending  the  i^eace  and  love  with  which  religious 
societies  of  diiferent  modes  of  worship  had  been 
entertained  in  Rhode  Island,  and  the  freedom  and 
safety  they  had  enjoyed  in  preaching,  they  most 
humbly  begged  their  countenance  and  encourage- 
ment if  it  should  come  to  pass  that  a  small  meeting- 
house should  be  built  in  their  town  to  entertain  such 
as  are  willing  to  hear  our  ministers.  Deacon  Jonathan 
Sprague's  reply  to  this  humble  request  fairly  makes 
our  ears  tingle.  Genuine  Rhode  Island  sauce  has  a 
very  pungent  quality. 

In  spite  of  this  rebuff  a  Congregational  meeting- 
house was  built  on  the  corner  of  Collesre  and  Benefit 


WINDHAM  COUNTY  AND  PROVIDENCE.    l-tl 

streets,  and  served  for  many  years  as  a  beacon  of 
Puritan  orthodoxy  among  the  Baptists,  Quakers,  and 
Independents  of  free-thinking  Rhode  Island. 

With  passable  roads  and  suitable  provision  for 
Sabbath-keeping,  emigration  to  Providence  assumed 
a  more  permanent  character.  Young  men  averse  to 
farming  found  employment  in  other  lines  of  labor. 
Poys  went  to  sea  and  found  places  in  stores.  Enter- 
prising young  men  of  better  education,  like  Darius 
Sessions,  tried  their  chances  in  the  growing  town. 
Some  went  back  in  time  for  the  girls  they  left  be- 
hind them.  Others  found  wives  in  their  new  home. 
An  elaborate  entry  in  Thompson  church  records,  in 
mammoth  letters,  with  the  blackest  of  ink,  records 
the  marriage,  30  September,  1739,  of  Capt.  Nicholas 
Cook  of  Providence,  to  Mrs.  Hannah  Sabin,  daugh- 
ter of  Capt.  Hezekiah  Sabin,  first  settler  of  Thomp- 
son Hill,  and  proprietor  of  its  famous  old  red  tavern 
in  the  centre  of  the  common.  As  the  bride  was  only 
eighteen  we  may  assume  that  this  honorary  title  was 
given  her.  out  of  respect  for  the  dignity  of  her  own 
and  her  husband's  social  position,  or,  perhaps,  with 
a  prophetic  sense  of  the  honors  that  awaited  her  as 
the  wife  of  a  governor  and  mother  of  a  dozen  stal- 
wart Rhode  Islanders. 

Capt.  Sabin's  successor  in  the  tavern  was  a  typical 
Rhode  Islander,  Benjamin  Wilkinson,  one  of  the 
class  of   roving  Yankees  described   by  Washington 


142  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

Irving',  whose  idea  of  settlement  in  life  is  to  set  out 
upon  his  rambles.  It  is  said  that  he  kept  tavern  in 
every  stand  between  Providence  and  Connecticut's 
north-east  corner.  •  When  he  brought  up  against 
Massachusetts  line,  on  a  beautiful  farm  west  of  the 
Quinebaug — now  in  New  Boston — people  thought  he 
had  come  to  stay,  but  destiny  met  him  in  the  shape 
of  a  shabby  old  traveler  w^ho  carelessly  asked  what 
he  would  take  for  the  premises.  Mr.  Wilkinson 
named  a  high  figure  and  thought  no  more  of  it  till 
in  a  few^  weeks  the  shabby  old  man  appeared  before 
him  with  a  bag-full  of  gold  and  silver  ready  to  clinch 
the  bargain.  Amused  at  the  incident,  and  alw^ays 
ready  for  travel,  Mr.  Wilkinson  resigned  the  farm 
and  purchased  the  tavern  stand  on  Thompson  Hill, 
w  here  his  energies  found  ample  exercise.  He  hauled 
off  the  stones,  dug  out  aboriginal  tree  stumps,  and 
planted  i^each-stones  by  every  rock  and  along  the 
highway  for  public  accommodation.  Through  all 
his  wanderings  he  carried  with  him  Rhode  Island 
ideas  and  white  seed  corn,  and  while  serving  as 
committee  for  the  standing  society  and  opening  his 
house  to  accommodate  the  Congregationalists  in  win- 
ter, he  gave  sympathy  and  building  spot  to  the  strug- 
gling Baptists.  On  one  occasion  only  he  came  into 
collision  with  church  authorities — that  fatal  Sunday 
when  a  grind-sto7ie  was  heard  in  his  door-yard,  just 
across  the  road  from  the  meeting-house,  creaking 


AVINDHAM    COUNTY   AND    PROVIDENCE.        143 

rustily  tlirougli  all  the  services.  A  deputation  of 
worthies  was  sent  to  remonstrate  with  the  offender. 
Mr.  Wilkinson  promptly  denied  the  charge.  "Bnt 
we  hear  it  now,"  persisted  the  complainants.  "  See 
for  yourself,"  retorted  the  smiling  landlord,  pointing 
out  to  the  committee  a  pair  of  Guinea  fowl,  the  first 
brought  into  the  town  and  yet  untrained  in  the  strict- 
ness of  Connecticut  Sabbath-keeping,  whose  doleful 
croak,  aggravated  by  homesickness,  had  subjected 
their  owner  to  such  reproach  and  visitation. 

It  was  probably  through  Mr.  Wilkinson's  effective 
influence  that  a  new  business  interest  developed  in 
the  north-east  town  of  the  county.  The  first  public 
attempt  to  trade  with  Providence  was  through  a  pe- 
culiar local  institution  known  as  "  the  Butter-cart," 
which  ran  about  the  town  from  house  to  house  like 
the  later  peddler's  cart,  picking  up  such  small  pro- 
ducts as  housewives  could  spare,  and  bringing  back 
in  exchange  those  minor  luxuries  that  husbands  too 
often  overlooked  or  refused  to  purchase.  A  small 
nutmeg  cost  a  ninepence  in  those  days,  and  as  for 
pins,  a  single  paper  was  considered  a  life-long  supply. 
Stories  are  told  of  mothers  bringing  up  a  large  fam- 
ily on  four  rows,  and  grandmothers  exhibiting  with 
pride  the  "  great  pins  "  that  had  formed  a  part  of 
their  bridal  outfit.  The  "  Butter-cart"  was  held  in 
high  esteem  by  wives  and  daughters,  and  its  arrival 
and  departure  looked  for  with  as  much  interest  as  if 
it  bore  the  treasures  of  the  Indies. 


144:  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

In  the  hands  of  Mr.  Wilkinson's  son-in-law,  Daniel 
Larned,  and  his  partner,  John  Mason,  this  primitive 
barter-trade  expanded  into  a  great  commercial  en- 
terprise. A  store  Avas  opened  under  the  Great  Elm^ 
South  Neighborhood,  filled  with  all  manner  of  tempt- 
ing West  India  goods  and  useful  articles.  Carts 
were  sent  all  over  the  country,  picking  up  marketa- 
ble products.  Ashes  were  taken  in  for  the  extrac- 
tion of  potash  and  pearlash,  pork  and  beef  were 
prepared  and  packed  for  market ;  a  shop  was  added 
for  nail  manufacture — all  to  be  exchanged  for  West 
India  goods  in  Providence — especially  those  most 
needful  and  desirable  articles — rum  and  molasses. 
The  arrival  of  the  first  hogshead  of  the  latter  article 
at  "  Larned  and  Mason's  store  "  was  made  a  day  of 
special  festivity — boys  being  allowed  for  the  first 
time  to  revel  unstinted  in  the  favorite  juvenile  dainty 
of  the  period — hot  roasted  potatoes  smothered  in 
panfuls  of  molasses,  and  crammed  all  sizzling  and 
dripping  down  the  throats  of  the  happy  urchins. 
The  candy  of  later  days  was  far  less  positive  in  flavor. 

The  close  of  the  French  and  Indian  war  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  season  of  great  commercial  and  maritime 
prosperity,  shared  alike  by  town  and  country.  Busi- 
ness enterprises  like  this  in  Thompson  were  not  un- 
usual. Samuel  McClellan,  of  Woodstock,  engaged  in 
this  domestic  and  foreign  traffic.  The  country  village 
was  in  process  of  evolution.     Store  and  shop  were 


WINDHAM    COUNTY    AND    PROVIDENCE.        145 

added  to  the  small  knot  of  dwelling-houses  cluster- 
ing about  the  hill-top  meeting-house  and  tavern. 
The  out-lying  district  first  included  within  the  lim- 
its of  Providence  township  was  now  set  off  into 
the  separate  tow^ns  of  Cranston,  Glocester,  Scituate, 
Smithfield.  The  great  highways  leading  through 
them  to  Providence  were  more  and  more  thronged 
with  travelers  and  traffic.  Substantial  bridges  over 
the  Quinebaug  had  long  replaced  the  primitive 
canoes.  Taverns  were  in  great  force  in  those  days 
of  slow  traveling  and  fast  drinking.  Eaton's  tavern 
in  Plainfield  was  now  a  famous  place  of  resort  and 
entertainment.  The  constant  stream  of  travel  made 
it  very  difficult  to  keep  these  roads  and  bridges  in 
suitable  repair.  The  need  of  better  roads  was  vo- 
ciferously argued  in  town  meeting  and  General  As- 
sembly. Special  orders  relating  to  their  renewal  and 
maintenance  were  promulgated  by  both  Governments. 
Plainfield  and  Canterbury  were  particularly  bur- 
thened  by  highway  demands  and  charges.  In  fact 
the  road  question  w^as  one  of  perennial  agitation. 
The  first  mail  carrier  of  whom  w^e  hear  was  Thomas 
Mumford,  who  carried  the  mail  once  a  w^eek  on  horse- 
back to  New  London.  The  first  public  conveyance 
passing  through  Windham  County  was  a  weekly 
stage  coach  running  from  Providence  to  Norwich,  in 
the  summer  of  1768.  Mr.  S.  Thurber  reports  the 
first  chaise-jaunt  in  1776,  wdien,  after  all  the  labor 

13 


146  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

bestowed  upon  it,  the  road  was  so  stony  and  rongli 
that  he  could  not  ride  out  of  a  slow  walk,  and  was 
near  two  days  in  going  to  Pomfret.  Dr.  Stiles,  of 
Newport,  future  president  of  Yale  College,  makes 
statistical  notes  of  his  many  journeys  over  the  Provi- 
dence road,  which  unfortunately  give  little  more  than 
date  and  distances.  "From  Uncle  Abel's  (Wood- 
stock) to  Browns  of  Killingly,  8  miles :  thence  to 
Larneds'  store,  2  miles  :  thence  to  Woodstock,  7  miles  ; 
from  Uncles'  to  Wilmots,  17  miles  :  from  Woodstock 
to  Providence,  34  miles  :  from  Pomfret  to  Providence, 
36  miles.  Expenses  at  Prov.  3  shillings  :  at  Foster's, 
3s  3d  :  at  Larned's,  5s  3d  " — which  shows  that  a  great 
man  may  make  a  very  dry  record. 

Among  the  reciprocal  interchanges  between  Provi- 
dence and  AVindham  County  we  have  to  include  crimi- 
nals and  refugees.  The  honored  names  of  Stephen 
Hopkins,  Eesolved  W^aterman,  William  Ehodes,  and 
other  compassionate  and  large-hearted  Ehode  Is- 
landers, appear  upon  a  petition  in  behalf  of  the  no- 
torious Dr.  Hallowell,  who  had  "  fled  his  country  " 
upon  conviction  of  criminal  offence.  An  exile,  d-es- 
titute  of  everything  but  want  and  misery,  he  begged 
permission  to  return  to  an  unhappy  wife  and  seven 
unfortunate  children,  "  who  not  participating  in  the 
guilt  had  too  deeply  tasted  of  the  punishment." 
Fine  and  imj)risonment  alone  he  could  have  borne, 
but  to  sit  upon  the  gallows  with  a  rope  around  his 


WINDHAM    COUNTY    AND    PROVIDENCE.        IJrT 

neck,  suffer  public  whipping-  and  further  punishment 
at  tlie  pleasure  of  the  court,  was  thought  by  Dr. 
Hallowell  and  his  Rhode  Island  sympathizers  to  be 
more  than  the  laws  of  God  did,  or  those  of  men 
should,  inflict  upon  human  offenders.  Providence 
sent  a  noted  refugee  in  John  Aplin,  an  Englishman 
of  learning  and  good  address,  who  acquired  a  hand- 
some estate  by  legal  practice,  but  it  being  discovered 
that  he  had  received  fees  from  the  opposing  parties 
in  an  important  case,  "  between  two  days  fled  his 
country  "  and  found  refuge  in  Plainfield.  It  need 
hardly  be  said  that  such  refugees  as  were  driven 
from  home  on  charge  of  heretical  or  heterodox  opin- 
ions, were  received  with  open  arms  by  the  sister  col- 
onj^  The  Rev.  John  Bass,  who  was  dismissed  from 
the  Congregational  church  of  Ashford  "  for  dissent- 
ing from  the  Calvinistic  sense  of  the  quinquarticular 
points,"  was  welcomed  to  the  pastorate  of  the  First 
Congregational  church  of  Providence,  upon  the  de- 
cease of  its  first  pastor.  Rev.  Josiah  Cotton.  Rev. 
David  Rowland  of  Plainfield,  who  had  been  made 
for  a  dozen  years  a  bone  of  contention  in  that  town, 
the  church  refusing  to  let  him  go  and  the  town  with- 
holding his  salary,  found  peaceful  anchorage  in  the 
same  church  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Bass.  In  place 
of  writs,  attachments,  and  noisy  controversy,  we  are 
told  by  the  newspaper  of  the  day,  December,  1767 — 
that  "  young  ladies,  daughters  of  Liberty  and  indus- 


148  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

try,  met  at  Mr.  Rowland's  with  their  spinning 
wheels,  and  at  night  presented  him  with  lfl20  hiots 
of  thread." 

The  troubles  with  England,  the  shadow  of  ap- 
proaching war,  only  made  the  intercourse  between 
Providence  and  Windham  County  more  intimate  and 
continuous.  Hitherto  the  tide  of  emigration  had 
run  eastward — now  a  reflex  tide  brought  many  worthy 
families  to  permanent  establishment  in  Windham 
County.  The  Stamj)  Act  excitement  sent  Godfrey 
Malbone,  of  Newport,  to  Brooklyn  Parish,  where  he 
attempted  something  like  the  old  Narragansett  style 
of  living  with  his  three-thousand-acre  farm,  his  scores 
of  slaves,  and  church  of  his  own  order.  But  the 
great  body  of  new-comers  were  families  of  moderate 
circumstances,  who  preferred  to  cultivate  their  farms 
and  bring  up  their  children  apart  from  sea-board 
alarm  and  agitation.  Chase,  Congdon,  Fisk,  Bul- 
lock, Jackson,  Hop^Din,  Randall,  Thompson,  Torrey, 
Tourtellotte,  Wheat  on,  are  among  the  many  Rhode 
Island  names  thus  engrafted.  Others  came  as  tran- 
sient residents. 

But  Windham  County  did  more  than  furnish  a  wel- 
come refuge  during  this  long  period  of  distress  and 
exposure.  Perhaps  her  most  noteworthy  service 
was  furnishing  the  colony  a  deputy-governor  in  full 
sympathy  ^^dth  patriotic  sentiments  and  movements. 
Darius  Sessions  had  continued  to  advance  in  influ- 


WINDHAM  COUNTY  AND  PROVIDENCE.    149 

ence  and  position.  In  1762  lie  was  chosen  assistant; 
in  1769  he  became  deputy -govern  or  and  indirectly 
afforded  much  aid  and  comfort  to  those  inclined  to 
resist  British  oppression.  His  wilful  blindness  in  re- 
gard to  the  "  Burning  of  the  Gaspee,"  called  out 
much  amusement  as  well  as  criticism.  As  the  aspect 
of  affairs  became  more  threatening,  Gov.  Sessions 
purchased  a  country-seat  in  Thompson  Parish — the 
"  old  Joseph  Cady  house  "  and  farm.  The  recon- 
structed mansion  became  a  famous  place  of  resort 
during  the  war,  entertaining  many  a  noted  historic 
personage.  Pres.  Manning,  who,  during  college  sus- 
pension made  frequent  visits  in  Windham  County, 
speaks  with  admiration  of  Gov.  Sessions'  excellent 
farm  and  superior  accommodations.  The  meander- 
ings  of  the  good  president  give  us  glimpses  of  many 
of  these  new  homes : 

"  Left  Providence,  Thursday,  April  29,  reached  Col.  Abraham 
Winsors,  10  miles  ;  80.  Traveled  to  John  Brown's  farm  at  Che- 
pachet  6  miles  ;  refreshed  and  proceeded  to  Capt.  Corliss's,  Kil- 
lingly  12  ;  road  extremely  bad  ;  visited  Mr.  Jones  ;  set  out  after 
dinner  and  visited  Gov.  Sessions.  After  tea  traveled  to  Benj .  Thur- 
bers  in  Pomfret,  6  miles  ;  roads  better.  Sunday  A.  M.  Preached 
at  James  Thurbers  ;  lectured  at  B.  Thurber's  at  5  P.  M.  house 
crowded  ;  audience  very  attentive  and  affected.  Monday.  Vis- 
ited Paul  Tew  at  Woodstock,  also  at  Mr.  Cahoons,  Thompsons, 
B.  Lindsleys.  Tues.  Visited  Col.  Nightingales,  Pomfret,  dined. 
He  lives  most  elegantly  ;  has  a  grand  farm  ;  entertains  hospit- 
ably. Thence  to  Jeremiah  Browns  and  Captain  Bowles's,  Ash- 
ford." 


150  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

Pres.  Mannino-  does  not  report  to  us  the  lasting 
effect  of  his  preaching  in  Pomfret.  From  other 
sources  we  learn  that  it  aroused  so  much  interest 
that  the  Congregational  minister,  Mr.  Putnam,  be- 
came alarmed  lest  it  should  lead  to  the  spread  of 
Baptist  principles,  and  that  he  challenged  the  presi- 
dent to  a  public  discussion  of  the  points  at  issue. 
But  the  ponderous  town  minister  was  no  match  either 
in  oratory  or  argument  for  the  college  president,  and 
the  whole  affair  resulted  in  many  conversions  to 
Baptist  principles  and  the  formation  of  a  Baptist 
church — a  permanent  memorial  of  the  Revolutionary 
exodus.  The  keen  eye  of  President  Manning  recog- 
nized peculiar  facilities  in  Pomfret,  and  especially  its 
favorable  position  for  "  a  boy's  school,"  which  he 
hoped  to  have  established  there  as  a  feeder  for  his 
university. 

But  Windham  did  even  more  than  furnish  farms 
and  homes  to  her  eastward  neighbors.  These  were 
the  days  of  Rhode  Island's  extremity.  Her  exposed 
position  on  the  sea-board  brought  constant  peril  and 
invasion.  Time  and  again  the  militia  of  Windham 
was  summoned  to  her  aid.  Companies  hurried  down 
in  the  autumn  of  '76  on  receiving  news  of  an  approach- 
ing fleet,  but  were  too  late  to  prevent  the  occupation 
of  Rhode  Island  by  a  strong  body  of  British  troops. 
Windham  County  soldiers  formed  a  part  of  the  force 
retained  for  the  defence  of  Providence,  and  aided  in 


WINDHAM  COUNTY  AND  PROVIDENCE.    151 

the  several  attempts  to  dislodge  the  invaders.  In 
the  stormy  campaign  of  1778  her  services  were  es- 
pecially valuable.  The  prospect  of  naval  coopera- 
tion through  the  agency  of  the  French  fleet  en- 
couraged the  patriots  in  their  preparations  for  the 
recovery  of  Newport  and  Rhode  Island  by  a  strong 
movement  on  land.  Powder,  cartridges,  x3rovisions, 
everything  that  could  be  spared,  w^ere  hurried  down 
to  Providence.  Companies  of  militia  and  volunteers 
marched  off  with  renewed  spirit  and  hope. 

Here  are  three  Thompson  brothers  tramping  along 
on  the  familiar  road  to  Providence — stout  young  fel- 
lows who,  having  each  served,  his  lawful  quota  in 
Connecticut,  are  bound  to  seek  their  fortune  in 
Hhode  Island.  They  have  packs  on  their  backs,  and 
the  youngest  carries  somewhere  an  inkhorn  and  a 
roll  of  paper.  Little  Phody  is  all  astir  these  mid- 
summer days.  Men  are  marching  off  from  every 
hamlet  and  farm-house,  and  the  women  are  getting 
in  the  hay  and  doing  all  the  farm  work.  One  grand 
effort  is  to  be  made  to  drive  the  British  from  Phode 
Island,  and  our  youngsters  are  quickly  snapped  up 
and  drafted  into  service.  Zeph's  ready  pen  gives  us 
his  experience,  and  takes  us  to  the  scene  of  action : 

"August  5,  1778,  drafted  to  serve  on  Rhode  Island  twenty 
days  ;  got  some  cloth  for  a  knapsack  ;  went  to  Jonathan  Spragues 
&  got  a  good  gun  and  cartridge,  &  then  Jesse,  John  and  I  set  out 
together  with  some  more  from  Job  Angells      6.     Did  march  to 


152  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

town  and  barrack  in  the  Court  House  &  so  it  goes.  7.  As  soon 
as  light  got  up  &  see  the  Continentals  march  for  Tivertown  ; 
got  some  breakfast  at  Mr.  Trips  ;  very  warm — I  went  to  the 
New  Light  meeting-house  &  got  a  canteen,  and  about  twelve  we 
set  out  for  Tivertown  ;  marched  through  Pawtucket,  into  See- 
konk  or  Rehoboth,  and  did  lie  in  a  meadow  on  the  side  of  a  fence. 
8.  Mustered  about  2  or  3  o'clock,  &  marched  into  Swanzea  & 
got  a  bowl  of  chocolate  ;  and  then  over  States  Ferry  into  Free- 
town &  ate  dinner  &  very  hot,  &  then  over  Fall  River  into  Tiv- 
ertown &  I  encamped  by  side  of  a  haystack.  9.  Had  bowl  of 
chocolate  &  went  to  Parade  &  fixed  our  guns  for  business  ;  then 
rode  over  the  ferry  &  landed  upon  Rhode  Island  ;  formed  & 
marched  up  to  the  Fort  &  laid  down  in  the  great  chamber  10. 
French  did  engage  the  English  batteries  with  their  ships  and 
cannonaded  very  smart  for  3  hours,  and  Jesse  &  John  went  to 
the  lines  scouting  at  night.  I  went  upon  guard  to  the  bridge  & 
did  sleep  on  the  road." 

And  that  night  came  on  that  terrible  Norther  that 
drove  the  disabled  French  fleet  far  into  the  sea  and 
blasted  all  the  fruits  of  careful  preparation — one  of 
those  fateful  storms  that  again  and  again  have 
changed  the  course  of  human  history.  Our  poor 
Zeph  gives  his  experience  : 

"11.  Jesse  &  John  fixed  a  little  wall  to  break  the  wind  &  we 
have  nothing  to  eat  hardly.  12.  Knocked  about  &  built  a  stone 
house  and  covered  it  with  hay  and  it  rained  very  hard  &  the 
house  leaked  so  we  thought  we  could  not  stand  it ;  went  about 
a  mile  &  got  wet  to  the  skin  and  found  a  haystack  &  almost 
chilled  to  death  we  rolled  off  some  hay  &  did  lie  by  the  stack  & 


WINDHAM  COUNTY  AND  PROVIDENCE.   X53 

were  almost  dead  in  the  morniug.  13.  Crept  out  &  came  to 
stone  house,  found  John  alive  &  after  a  while  I  got  dry  &  had  a 
boil  on  my  eye  &  did  feel  very  poorly  ;  our  folks  fixed  up  our 
barracks  &  got  a  little  green  corn  &  slept  very  well.  14.  Got 
up  and  paraded  &,  marched  to  the  water  &  fired  in  platoons.  15. 
Not  well,  nor  John  either.  All  the  brigades  marched  to  the  lines 
&  we  got  our  packs  brought  down  &  encamped  in  a  huckleberry 
plain.  I  had  a  clean  shirt  and  trousers  &  I  felt  very  poorly  ; 
blind  with  one  eye  &  not  any  tents  ;  nor  haint  had  but  the  Heav- 
ens to  cover  us.  17.  Still  very  poorly  ;  ate  nothing.  In  the 
late  storm  one  or  two  died  and  several  were  chilled  so  that  many 
in  our  regiment  are  very  unwell ;  cloudy  &  foggy  ever  since  we 
came  upon  the  Island. 

19.  A  little  firing  on  both  sides.  20.  They  fire  a  little  ;  are 
all  the  time  entrenching  and  building  forts;  I  wash  my  knap- 
sack &  feel  some  better.  21.  Set  out  upon  fatigue  down  the 
lines  ;  had  to  dig  in  plain  sight  of  the  enemy ;  the  ground  was 
but  just  broken  when  they  began  to  fire  upon  us  very  bad  but 
received  no  damage.  23.  Enemy  fired  hot  shells  &  we  begun 
the  breast  work  for  the  great  mortar.  Jesse  &  John  &  I  worked 
till  noon  &  placed  the  great  mortar.  24.  Constant  firing.  25. 
All  paraded  and  went  to  headquarters  ;  went  three  miles  for 
rum.  26.  Six  or  seven  men  killed  ;  an  18-pounder  split  all  to 
pieces  &  a  brass  mortar.  27.  Paraded  ;  took  our  cooking  uten- 
sils &  went  to  head-quarters  &  delivered  them  up,  &  marched 
through  Portsmouth  to  Bristol  Ferry  &  went  on  board  a  vessel 
&  there  was  but  little  wind  &  that  was  wrong  &  we  got  along 
slowly  &  beat  along  almost  to  Conanicut  Point  &  cast  anchor  and 
lay  till  light  &  then  struck  for  Warwick  Neck  and  landed  and 
came  along  and  got  a  good  breakfast  of  wheat  bread  and  milk 
and  came  through  Pawtucket  to  Providence  and  Warwick  into 
Smithfield  to  old  Father  Job  Angells  &  got  some  victuals  &  I 


154  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

feel  ver}^  poorly.     Camp  Middleton,  Aug.  18,  1788."     "Dec.  30, 
was  paid  |69.00  for  soldiering  on  Rhode  Island." 

AVith  this  service  our  friend's  military  service  closes, 
but  the  continued  diary  gives  very  realistic  pictures 
of  every-day  life  in  this  transition  period.  Zeph  re- 
mains in  the  vicinity  of  Providence,  picking  up  work 
wherever  it  can  be  found,  digging  stone,  laying  wall, 
fiddling,  and  dancing.  When  work  fails  in  the  win- 
ter he  and  his  brother  tramp  round  the  country  like 
young  troubadours,  dressing  flax  at  farmers'  houses 
oil  shares,  making  brooms,  splitting  rails,  and  fid- 
dling. Again  in  Khode  Island  in  summer,  working 
for  Job.  Angell,  Philip  Sweet  or  Joseph  Farman,  run- 
i]ii]g  a  farm  for  John  Jenks,  A^c.  Times  are  hard  and 
the  value  of  money  fluctuating.  He  buys  a  scythe 
for  $25.00,  which  he  breaks  in  hanging;  gives  £59  48s 
for  winter  suit  of  coat,  jacket,  and  breeches  of  light- 
colored  cloth,  and  receives  $81.00  for  fiddling  all 
night  at  John  Smith's  raisers'  husking.  Work  is  di- 
versified by  frequent  frolic  and  dances ;  have  two  fid- 
dles at  some  huskings,  and  drink  without  measure, 
for  these  were  "  high  old  times  "  in  Ehode  Island  in 
spite  of  war  and  poverty. 

As  years  go  on  our  hero  takes  more  note  of  public 
afi'airs.  "  March  6,  1781  Men  gone  to  Newport  for 
one  month ;  news  of  iDcace :  Keformation  in  the 
camp ;  Hear  that  fifteen  tons  of  silver  in  French 
horn-pipes  have  come  to  Boston.    March   14.  Gen. 


AVINDHAM    COUNTY    AND    PROVIDENCE.        155 

Washington  came  into  ProvideQce  from  NeAvport. 
Sept.  14,  1782.  This  day  died  at  Providence  the  Hon. 
Governor  Cook  (husband  of  our  little  Hannah  Sa- 
bin.)  March  31,  1783.  A  flag  from  New  York  says 
P.  E.  A.  C.  E  ;  handbills  say  '  Peace ; '  April  25.  A 
proclamation  of  Peace  this  day." 

Zeph  takes  to  himself  a  Rhode  Island  wife  and 
tries  hard  to  gain  a  livelihood.  "June  16,  1784.  Buy 
fifteen  dozen  cakes  and  liquor  for  Ordination  Went 
ta  North  Providence  for  Ordination  and  sold  liquor 
and  cakes  and  they  danced  all  night."  He  fiddles  at 
huskings  and  dances,  but  profitable  work  is  hard  to 
find.     Times  are  still  hard,  and  currency  unsettled. 

"  June  24,  1788.  Great  rejoicings  to-day  on  account 
of  a  new  Constitution  being  framed  and  sent  out  to 
see  if  it  will  be  ratified  by  the  people.  July  4.  A 
great  feast  at  Providence,  they  roast  a  whole  ox. 
There  are  two  parties  here  Federalists  and  Anti-fed- 
eralists," and  Zeph,  a  man  of  the  people,  sympathizes 
with  the  Anti  party. 

Intercourse  between  Providence  and  Windham 
County  becomes  more  lively  with  development  of 
the  new  nation.  "  Thurber  &  Chandler  "  return  from 
Pomfret  to  reopen  their  store  near  Major  Thayer's 
tavern  with  its  appropriate  sign — "  The  Bunch  of 
Grapes."  Here  they  not  only  dispensed  West  India 
and  New  England  rum,  and  French  brandy  on  the 
most  reasonable  terms,  but  "  Avoolen  and  cotton  hand- 


156  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

cards  "  of  their  own  manufacture.  It  would  be  im- 
possible to  give  anything  like  a  complete  list  of  the 
3^oung  men  from  Windham  County  now  seeking  work 
and  business  openings  in  Providence.  And  at  the 
same  date  one  of  its  leading  merchants,  Col.  Wil- 
liam Bussell,  is  establishing  a  potash  manufactory  in 
Woodstock — buying  up  land,  constructing  extensive 
works,  experimenting  upon  "  Hopkin's  Plan." 

In  educational  matters  there  was  equal  reciprocity. 

As  during  the  war  Plainfield  academy  had  ^Droved 
a  boon  and  refuge  to  many  a  Providence  youth,  num- 
bering among  its  graduates  such  future  celebrities  as 
Nicholas  Brown,  Henry  Wheaton,  Wilkins  Updike, 
so  now  Windham  County  in  turn  sent  her  sons  to 
enjoy  the  privileges  of  Brown  University.  The  first 
Windham  County  name  that  appears  on  her  lists 
is  William  McClellan  of  Woodstock,  1782.  Other 
Windham  County  boys,  graduating  before  1800,  are 
Wm.  Wilkinson,  Jacob  Converse,  James  B.  Mason, 
George  Larned,  Peleg  Chandler,  Joseph  Eaton,  Eras- 
tus  Larned,  Philip  Hayward,  Wm.  H.  Sabin,  Alvin 
Underwood,  Nathan  F.  Dixon,  Judah  McClellan, 
Lucius  Bolles.  Wm.  Wilkinson  while  conducting  a 
preparatory  Latin  school  served  as  college  librarian. 
Hon.  Darius  Sessions,  John  Mason,  James  B.  Mason, 
Lucius  Bolles,  appear  among  the  university  trustees. 
A  much  respected  citizen  of  Woodstock,  Dea.  Jesse 
Bolles,  served  faithfully  as  steward  and  registrar. 


WINDHAM  COUNTY  AND  PROVIDENCE.    157 

The  traditions  of  college  life,  as  handed  down  by 
some  of  these  early  students,  show  full  participation 
.in  the  frolicsome  spirit  of  the  day.  Everybody  has 
heard  how  the  president's  cow  was  decoyed  into  the 
belfry,  but  how  nearly  the  youngsters  succeeded  in 
hanging  a  negro  boy  after  a  mock  trial  is  one  of  the 
stories  that  had  better  be  left  to  Carlyle's  "  wise  ob- 
livion." The  standard  of  scholarship,  as  compared 
with  that  of  later  date,  was  extremely  low. 

Good  fellowship  and  genial  hospitality  w^ere  char- 
acteristic traits  of  that  XDeriod.  The  frolic  element, 
so  prominent  in  Zeph's  circle,  pervaded  all  classes. 
Between  the  families  w^ho  had  removed  from  Provi- 
dence and  their  town  relatives,  between  new  comers 
and  country  cousins  left  behind,  were  continuous 
social  interchanges.  Pomfret,  with  its  historic 
"Pucker  Street,"  became  an  early  place  of  resort 
for  Providence  aristocracy,  its  Episcopal  church  and 
fashionable  assemblies  giving  tone  to  its  society.  A 
future  governor  of  Rhode  Island,  Nehemiah  Knight, 
residing  for  a  time  as  business  agent  at  the  Quine- 
baug  Falls — now^  in  Putnam — was  extremely  popular 
among  the  country  belles,  and  is  accredited  T\dth  the 
honor  of  instituting  the  picnic  in  Windham  County, 
and  also  of  providing  a  place  for  it,  laying  out  a  walk 
on  the  tongue  of  land  between  the  Quinebaug  and 
Mill  rivers,  under  the  fanciful  name  of  La  Solitaire. 

With  all  this  skurrying  to  and  fro,  on  horseback 


158  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

or  with  cart  and  chaise,  the  roads,  according  to  Dr. 
D wight,  wherein  a  very  unsatisfactory  condition,  due 
to  the  unconquerable  spirit  of  its  inhabitants,  who 
insisted  that  free-born  Rhode  Islanders  ought  never 
to  submit  to  the  tyranny  of  compulsory  church  rates 
or  turnpike  fare.  The  sum  grudgingly  allowed  by 
legislature  only  sufficed  to  keep  the  road  repaired 
in  the  vicinity  of  Providence.  But  the  law  of  pro- 
gress asserted  itself  in  time  and  by  1805  roads  were 
completed  connecting  with  a  number  of  turn^Dikes 
established  in  Windham  County,  and  "free-born 
Rhode  Islanders,"  says  President  Dwight,  "  bowed 
their  necks  to  the  slavery  of  traveling  on  a  good 
road."  The  Providence  and  Springfield  Turnpike 
passed  over  Thompson  Hill.  Another  in  the  south 
part  of  Thompson  ran  through  Woodstock  and  Ash- 
ford  to  Somers,  on  the  north  line  of  Connecticut. 
Still  another  crossed  over  Killingly  Hill  to  Pomfret. 
A  very  important  thoroughfare — constructed  by  the 
Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  Turnpike  Company — 
passed  through  Killingly  and  Brooklyn,  connecting 
with  Boston  and  New  York  Turnpike.  And  the  old 
road  through  Sterling  and  Plainfield  was  managed 
by  another  turnpike  company. 

AVindham  County  could  not  have  carried  through 
all  this  road-making  but  for  the  simultaneous  de- 
velopment of  manufacturing  interests.  A  wonderful 
spirit  of   enterprise  dawned  "\\dth  the  new  century. 


WINDHAM  COUNTY  AND  PROVIDENCE.   159 

Little  Rhody  led  the  race  in  manufactures,  but  her 
energy  and  capital  surpassed  the  extent  of  her  terri- 
tory. The  fraternal  intercourse  with  Windham  County 
was  now  turned  to  good  account,  and  Windham's 
convenient  mill-privileges  were  quickly  appropriated 
by  Providence  capitalists.  The  second  cotton  factory 
by  date  in  Connecticut,  and  the  first  in  character  and 
influence,  was  the  well-known  Pomfret  Factory,  with 
Smith  Wilkinson  for  manager.  Other  privileges 
were  secured  in  Killingly,  Plainfield,  Sterling,  Thomp- 
son, and  later  at  Willimantic.  The  list  of  AVindham 
County  factory  owners  includes  many  of  the  promi- 
nect  business  men  of  Providence.  Reciprocal  bene- 
fits resulted  from  these  interchanges.  The  stimulus 
to  energy  and  invention,  the  demand  for  labor  and 
farm  j)roduce,  the  remuneration  offered  to  men, 
women,  and  children  brought  new  life  to  the  country 
town.  Laboring  men  with  large  families  hastened 
to  avail  themselves  of  this  business  opening.  Chil- 
dren rejoiced  to  tend  the  shining  machines  and  pro- 
nounced them  "  the  prettiest  things  in  the  world." 
And  as  all  that  was  done  in  the  mills  in  those  days 
was  to  spin  yarn  to  be  woven  on  hand  looms,  this 
opportunity  to  earn  money  for  themselves  was  eagerly 
welcomed  by  thousands  of  country  women,  uncon- 
sciously taking  the  first  step  in  woman's  emancipation 
in  receiving  personal  i3ay  for  their  own  labor.  Wives 
and  daughters  of  merchants,  lawyers,  as  well  as  of 


160  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

well-to-do  farmers,   did   not   disdain  to  enter  their 
looms  to  weave  cloth  for  Pomfret  Factory. 

This  grateful  boon  happily  coincided  with  new  de- 
mands for  money.  Missionary  movements  were  in 
the  air  and  many  benevolent  societies  were  in  pro- 
cess of  evolution.  A  brilliant  daughter  of  Provi- 
dence, Martha  Whitman — wife  of  William  H.  Mason 
of  Thompson — took  the  lead  in  organizing  a  "  United 
Female  Tract  Society  of  Killingly  and  Thompson," 
borrowing  for  a  model  a  very  elaborate  constitution 
just  adopted  by  the  pioneer  "  Female  Tract  Society 
of  Providence." 

The  stewardship  of  BroAvn  University  passed  from 
Dea.  Bolles  to  another  son  of  Windham  County, 
Joseph  Cady  of  Killingly.  As  the  chief  office  of  the 
steward  of  that  date  was  to  furnish  the  commons 
table  for  a  crowd  of  hungry  students,  it  is  said  that 
Mr.  Cady  owed  his  election  to  office  to  the  excellence 
of  his  wife's  cooking,  as  tested  through  their  expe- 
rience in  keeping  tavern  on  Pomfret  Street.  The 
scale  of  prices  is  worth  recording,  in  contrast  to  pres- 
ent charges — for  lodging,  six  cents  a  night ;  meals, 
super-excellent,  twelve  cents  each.  Mrs.  Cady's  rep- 
utation for  good  cookery  was  fully  sustained  at  Provi- 
dence, though  it  was  hinted  that  her  husband  was 
more  successful  in  catering  than  in  discipline.  His 
successor  in  office — another  Windham  County  man, 
Mr.  Lemuel  Elliott  of  Thompson — combined  every 


WINDHAM  COUNTY  AND  PROVIDENCE.   101 

essential  quality,  and  is  still  held  in  honor  as  the 
model  steward  of  Brown  University.  Here  again 
the  wife  (of  course  a  Windham  County  girl)  comes 
to  the  front,  the  su^Derior  quality  of  her  apple-pies, 
as  reported  by  an  experienced  critic,  Mr.  Amasa 
Mason,  securing  the  favor  of  the  trustees.  The  wis- 
dom of  their  choice  Avas  abundantly  justified.  The 
departments  of  finance,  cookery,  and  discipline  were 
equally  well  administered.  Mr.  Elliott  sat  in  state 
aiLthe  head  of  the  ample  board — a  true  "  Autocrat  of 
the  Breakfast  Table  " — one  tap  of  his  carving  knife 
usually  preserving  order.  But  if  any  youth  indulged 
in  immoderate  efi'ervescence  the  autocrat's  strong 
grasp  quickly  set  him  outside  the  window.  The 
savor  of  the  Sunday  morning  breakfast  of  cod-fish 
cakes  and  raised  biscuit,  long  lingered  in  the  mem- 
ory of  Brown  graduates.  Mr.  Elliott's  term  of  ser- 
vice was  prolonged  from  1826  to  1864 — during  which 
period  he  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  students,  fac- 
ulty and  general  public.  Windham  may  well  take 
pride  in  the  somewhat  remarkable  fact  that  for  more 
than  sixty  years  this  important  office  was  held  by 
natives  of  our  county. 

The  turnpikes,  so  opportunely  opened,  facilitated 
the  needful  interchange  of  cotton  and  store  goods  in 
the  manufacturing  era,  and  stage  lines  accommodated 
roads  and  factories.  These  were  the  golden  days  of 
the  historic  stage-coach,  that  delightful  institution 

14* 


162  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

which  some  of  us  still  tenderly  remember.  Punctual 
as  the  sun,  at  9  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  Provi- 
dence stage  cheered  my  youthful  vision,  soon  to  be 
followed  by  two  enormous  loads  of  cotton-bales, 
each  drawn  by  four  stalwart  horses.  Four  stages 
passed  daily  over  Thompson  Hill,  and  at  least  the 
same  number  over  the  Killingly  and  Plainfield  routes. 
Jolly  tavern  stands,  at  stated  intervals,  supplied  all 
needful  entertainment  for  man  and  beast,  and  no 
ascetic  temperance  legislation  restrained  the  flow 
of  liquor.  The  barrel  of  beer  was  always  on  tap, 
and  the  poker  kept  red-hot  for  flip-making.  Could 
anything  have  been  pleasanter  than  a  first  visit  to 
Providence  in  one  of  these  stage-coaches!  The 
ruddy,  genial  driver,  John  Wilkinson,  perhaps,  or 
some  kindred  worthy,  receiving  you  into  his  care 
with  paternal  interest.  What  opportunity  the  long 
drive  afforded  for  friendship,  flirtation  and  political 
discussion.  Perhaps  some  magnate  boarded  the 
coach.  Smith  Wilkinson  or  Sampson  Almy,  to  be 
remembered  through  a  life-time.  What  family  histo- 
ries were  made  known  to  us  as  we  jolted  along. 
Here  was  a  youth  with  his  bundle,  receiving  his 
mother's  parting  counsel  as  he  went  out  into  the 
w^orld,  or  a  brisk  young  girl  alights,  all  ribbons  and 
finery,  flush  with  her  first  earnings  in  the  factory. 
And  then  the  bundles,  messages,  reproaches,  picked 
up  along  the  way.     We  seem  admitted  into  the  pri- 


AYINDHAM    COUNTY    AND    PROVIDENCE.        163 

vate  history  of  every  family  on  the  road.  Short 
seems  the  live  or  six  hours'  journey  as  we  rattle  over 
the  pavement  of  Weybosset  and  Westminster — and 
our  country  eyes  open  widely  at  the  array  of  stores, 
the  throng-s  of  well-dressed  people,  and  all  the  won- 
ders of  the  city.  The  Arcade  especiall}^  excites  our 
wondering  admiration,  and  we  marvel  at  the  pre- 
sumption of  our  country  villages  in  attempting  to 
pattern  that  magnificent  structure. 

^This  manufacturing  and  stage-coach  era  was  one 
of  steady  growth  and  healthy  development.  Provi- 
dence was  transformed  from  a  provincial  town  to  a 
flourishing  city ;  the  Windham  County  towns  made 
very  solid  gains  in  population  and  equipment.  Some 
of  Rhode  Island's  peculiar  institutions  were  trans- 
planted to  her  neighbor's  territ  ory,  viz. :  two  Quaker 
me.etings  and  meeting-houses,  and  a  Quaker  board- 
ing-school. And  while  Providence  boys  were  avail- 
ing themselves  of  the  privileges  of  Plainfield  Acad- 
emy and  Black  Hill  Boarding-school,  a  Providence 
mother  removed  to  Pomfret — Mrs.  Mary  Yinton  — 
was  training  her  own  boys  for  positions  of  high 
honor  and  usefulness  in  army,  church,  and  state. 
Windham  County  boys  were  more  and  more  drawn 
to  Brown  University.  Among  the  bright  lights  sent 
by  her  to  Providence  during  this  period  were  Abra- 
ham Payne,  of  Canterbury,  who  won  a  high  place  at 
the  bar,   and   George   W.   Danielson,   of   Killingly, 


ICA  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

editor  of  T/ie  Providence  Journal.  The  number  of 
Windham  County  men  engaging  in  business  and  en- 
rolled among  her  honorable  merchants  is  quite  be- 
yond our  estimate,  while  to  keep  the  balance,  Watson, 
Tingley,  Nightingale,  and  Morse  were  added  to  the 
list  of  Windham  County  manufacturers. 

A  notable  feature  of  the  closing  years  of  the  turn- 
pike era  was  the  bridal  processions  gaily  wending 
their  way  to  Windham  County.  Connecticut,  for  once 
less  rigid  than  Rhode  Island,  tied  the  nuptial  knot 
after  one  legal  publishment  of  marriage  intentions. 

Three  successive  Sundays,  or  at  least  fifteen  days' 
notice  was  required  by  the  sterner  law  of  Rhode 
Island.  Thompson,  just  over  the  line,  was  especially 
favored  by  these  votaries  of  Hymen  or  "  Weddingers," 
as  they  were  commonly  called.  For  a  time  these 
ceremonies  were  performed  Sunday  intermission  by 
the  ministers,  who  read  the  brief  publishment  of 
marriage  intentions  at  the  morning  service,  but  the 
number  of  hymeneal  visitors  became  so  great,  and 
the  consequent  Sabbath-breaking  so  alarming,  that 
they  resigned  the  lucrative  office  to  Capt.  Stiles,  the 
veteran  tavern-keeper — who  was  made  justice  for  this 
especial  service.  A  man  of  commanding  presence, 
with  a  melodious  voice  and  very  impressive  manner, 
he  performed  the  ceremony  with  remarkable  grace 
and  unction.  Many  a  Rhode  Island  family  dates  its 
genesis  from  the  old  Stiles  Tavern  of  Thompson.    An 


AYINDHAM    COUNTY   AND    PROVIDENCE.        165 

occasional  runaway  Avith  irate  father  in  hot  pursuit 
added  to  the  interest  of  these  matrimonial  visitations, 
which  made  Thompson  and  its  landlord  almost  rival 
Gretna  Green  and  its  blacksmith. 

In  striking  contrast  to  these  blissful  cavalcades 
was  the  band  of  wearied  fugitives  who  appeared  on 
Thompson  Hill  one  June  morning  in  1843 — the  flying 
remnant  of  Dorr's  disbanded  army — crushed  by  the 
ruthless  hand  of  "  Law  and  Order."  That  any  per- 
manent result  should  follow  this  invasion  curiously 
illustrates  the  beneficial  tendency  of  Providence  and 
Windham  County  intercourse.  Accompanying  or 
folloAving  the  main  body  was  one  of  the  leaders  of 
the  rebellion — Aaron  White — a  lawyer  of  good  stand- 
ing and  more  than  average  ability.  Anchoring  at 
the  "  Old  Barnes  Tavern,"  just  on  the  line  between 
Connecticut  and  Massachusetts,  he  decided  to  make 
his  home  in  that  vicinity,  and  as  one  dead  to  his 
former  life  he  proceeded  at  once  to  select  a  burial 
spot  and  compose  a  Latin  epitaph,  which  thus  trans- 
lated he  ordered  inscribed  upon  his  grave  stone  : 

"  In  memory  of  Aaron,  son  of  Aaron  and 
Mary  White,  born  Oct.  18,  1798, 
Here  driven  into  exile 
While  defending  the  rights  of  man, 
I  found  Hospitality  and  Love, 
A  Home  and  a  Sepulchre." 

In  his  subsequent  life,  prolonged  over  forty  years. 


16C)  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

Esquire  White  practiced  law  as  occasion  offered,  and 
amused  himself  with  the  study  and  collection  of 
coiijs,  leaving-  at  his  decease  four  and  a  half  tons  of 
pennies  Avhich  were  valued  at  some  $8,000.  He  left, 
by  will,  to  the  treasurers  of  the  eight  counties  of 
Connecticut  a  thousand  dollars  each  as  a  trust  fund 
"for  the  procurement  and  maintenance  of  County 
Bar  Libraries  in  their  several  County  Court  Houses, 
for  the  sole  use  of  the  judges  and  clerks  of  the  Courts 
therein,  members  of  the  Bar  and  their  students."  It 
is  certainly  a  very  remarkable  occurrence  that  a  fugi- 
tive from  the  laws  of  one  State  should  confer  so 
great  a  benefit  upon  the  law  expounders  and  admin- 
istrators of  a  sister  commonwealth. 

We  have  thus  traced  the  intercourse  between  Provi- 
dence and  Windham  County  in  all  its  varying  phases 
— by  Indian  trail  and  "  trod  out  "  path,  by  bridle  path 
and  cart  path,  by  turnpike  and  stage-coach,  to  the 
beginning  of  our  OAvn  era.  Great  are  the  changes 
wrought  in  this  last  half -century.  Old  times  have 
passed  and  all  things  have  become  new.  One  puff 
of  the  steam-engine  blew  down  our  turnpike  gates. 
Eailroad  train  and  bicycle  have  displaced  the  stage- 
coach, and  coming  electrics  cast  shadows  before. 

Yet,  as  amid  all  the  changes  of  the  past  these  sec- 
tions maintained  such  pleasant  and  helpful  inter- 
course, even  so  under  present  dispensations.  That 
artificial,  almost  invisible,  boundary  line  which  sets 


WINDHAM    COUNTY    AND    PROVIDENCE.        167 

them  in  different  governments  has  never  impaired 
the  interchange  of  friendly  feeling  and  kindly  offices. 
History  they  say  is  prone  to  repeat  itself.  As  in 
the  very  first  beginnings  of  historic  tradition  we  saw 
our  Nipmuck  residents  repairing  to  Narragansett 
shores  for  a  shell-fish  treat,  so  now  our  Windham 
people  flock  to  the  Bay  for  clam -bake  and  shore  din- 
ner. And  our  Narragansett  friends  come  in  even 
greater  numbers  to  Windham  County  towns  to  find 
—not  lamprey  eels  alone — but  her  pure  air,  her 
breezy  hills,  healthy  and  wholesome  social  influences. 


VI. 

A  LIFE'S  EECOKD. 

1777-1843. 

Better  than  tradition,  better  than  fact  received 
from  ordinary  historic  sources,  is  the  contempo- 
raneons  record,  the  living-  word,  jotted  down  at  the 
occurrence  of  what  it  depictures.  Hawthorne  tells 
us  that  even  old  newspapers  and  almanacs  are  "  bits 
of  magic  looking-glass,  with  the  image  of  the  van- 
ished century  in  them."  And  still  more  vividly  real- 
istic is  the  family  letter,  the  daily  self-revealing  jour- 
nal, bringing  us  into  living,  personal  relations  with 
human  beings  long  j)assed  from  earth.  Fortunately 
for  the  world  this  custom  of  diary-keeping  was  very 
much  in  vogue  before  the  development  of  the  per- 
sonal element  in  newspapers,  and  has  contributed 
most  essentially  to  our  right  understanding  of  many 
facts  connected  with  the  early  history  of  New 
England  colonies.  Our  indebtedness  to  Winthrop, 
Mather,  Sewall,  and  other  chroniclers  is  gratefully 
acknowledged.  Many  lorivate,  personal  diaries  are 
constantly  coming  to  light,  giving  us  new  insight 
into  political,  military,  ministerial,  and  secular  affairs. 


A  life's  record.  1()9 

Some  of  tliem  are  from  men  of  high  official  position. 
Ministers  and  college  students  were  especially  ad- 
dicted to  this  exercise,  and  many  phases  of  colonial 
and  early  national  life  are  thus  brought  to  intimate 
knowledge. 

The  journal  on  which  this  "life  record"  is  founded 
is  from  a  humbler  source,  a  farmer's  son  with  very 
limited  advantages,  and  might  be  said  to  represent 
the  daily  life  of  an  average  Connecticut  citizen  dur- 
ing the  period.  It  was  kept  by  the  same  young  fel- 
low who  gave  us  pictures  of  the  Rhode  Island  cam- 
paign of  1778.  He  began  it  the  previous  year  when 
ambling  back  to  camp  after  a  furlough,  and  contin- 
ued it  till  near  the  close  of  his  long  life.  Jotting 
from  day  to  day  the  doings  and  happenings  that 
came  to  pass,  he  gives  us  not  only  his  own  life's  ex- 
perience, but  a  fair  transcript  of  the  growth  and  de- 
velopment of  the  nation  in  whose  birth  he  had  borne 
a  part.  A  musty  pile  of  yellow  foolscap,  tattered  ci- 
phering and  account  books,  tells  the  long  story. 
Let  us  see  what  we  can  glean  from  it. 

Dec.  3.  1777.  We  see  a  stout  lad  of  eighteen  rid- 
ing leisurely  over  the  hills  of  Windham  County,  on 
his  way  back  to  Danbury.  Brothers  John  and  Jesse 
enlisted  into  the  regular  State  regiments  and  served 
their  quota.  Our  Zeph,  with  a  little  more  snap,  or 
spring,  or  wilfulness,  elects  a  different  service.  He 
has  not  very  pronounced  ideas  about  the  true  in- 


170  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

wardness  of  the  war  that  is  in  progress,  but  he  likes 
to  be  about  "bosses,"  and  ax)preciates  the  fun  of 
hunting  Tories,  and  so  he  strayed  down  to  Fairfield 
County  and  enlisted  as  a  teamster.  He  has  already 
spent  six  months  guarding  and  carting  Government 
stores,  and  now  returns  to  duty  after  a  brief  furlough. 
It  takes  four  days  to  reach  his  destination.  First 
night — "Put  up  at  a  very  good  tavern  in  Coventry." 

Slowly  surmounting  the  Bolton  Ridges  he  spends 
the  second  night  at "  old  Captain  Coles  "  in  Farming- 
ton.  On  in  the  rain  through  Washington  to  one 
John  Clemmons  in  Litchfield. 

"6.  Through  New  Milford  and  Newbury  and  got 
to  Danbury  about  dusk." 

Work  begins  next  day,  care  of  oxen  and  horses, 
and  foraging  for  supplies.  Danbury  was  one  of  the 
most  important  store-houses  maintained  by  the  Con- 
tinental Army.  The  previous  April  through  the 
great  "  Tryon  raid  "  it  had  sustained  a  terrible  loss, 
eight  hundred  barrels  each  of  beef,  pork,  and  flour. 
Seventeen  hundred  tents,  all  burned  and  wasted. 
Now  they  were  struggling  to  replace  these  stores  and 
our  Zeph  drives  all  over  the  country  with  cart  and 
oxen — goes  to  Bethel,  Stamford,  Norwalk — "  Stays  at 
a  bad  place.  The  man  was  clever  but  had  a  devil  for 
a  wife."  "  Dec.  21.  Went  over  a  dreadful  bad  mount- 
ain into  Duchess  County  to  Col.  Yandeboro's,  and 
loaded  seven  barrels  of  flour :  went  for  hay  to  Joseph 


A  life's  record.  171 

Hau ford's  farm — a  Tory  that  lias  gone  to  the  Kegu- 
lars." 

It  is  all  work  and  no  play  for  onr  country  lad.  He 
complains  of  poor  living ;  has  no  cook  and  no  time 
to  cook  for  himself ;  no  bed  to  sleep  in,  no  letters 
from  home.  How  little  this  x^oor  little  teamster 
realizes  the  significance  of  what  he  is  doing  ?  How 
little  he  knows  of  what  is  passing?  There  is  Putnam 
and  his  Connecticut  regiments  right  over  against 
them  in  the  Highlands ;  Washington  and  his  hungry 
soldiers  at  Yalley  Forge  ;  Congress  vainly  striving  to 
meet  the  situation  ;  State  Legislatures  and  Corre- 
sponding Committees  at  their  wit's  end  for  men  and 
munitions,  and  our  poor  home-sick  Zeph  sees  nothing 
but  his  small  trials.  Even  Thanksgiving  day  "  brings 
no  rest." 

Jan.  1,  1788.  Prospects  brighter.  AVe  get  a  cook 
and  fare  better.  "  Pecks  folks  are  diabolical  Tories 
but  Mother  Peck  baked  rye  and  injun  bread  for  us 
Continentals  and  gave  us  a  good  New  Years  supper, 
rice  pudding  and  baked  beef — but  the  brandy  is 
almost  gone  and  what  shall  we  do  ?"  Feb.  2.  Saw 
two  of  his  neighbors  and  heard  from  home ;  first 
time  since  leaving  it.  A  visit  to  Fairfield  was  another 
treat,  for  there  he  saAv  his  brothers  and  "  got  a  good 
dinner  of  scallops,  pork-sides  and  bread."  "  Bought 
twelve  sheets  of  paper  and  an  almanac  for  a  dollar : 
saw  a  lady  ^^-ith  a  roll  upon  her  head  seven  inches 


172  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

high.  It  looked  big  enough  for  a  horse  and  had 
wool  enough  in  it  for  a  pair  of  stockings." 

At  the  close  of  the  year,  Zeph  made  over  his  oxen 
and  rejoiced  in  freedom.  "Nobody  shall  say  when 
I  shall  drive  team."  He  takes  a  job  of  flax-dressing 
upon  shares ;  had  good  cider  and  a  bed  to  sleep  on. 
Spring  comes  on  early  ;  snipes  whistle,  frogs  peep,  but 
his  year's  pay  is  withheld,  and  then  work  fails  him. 
He  sells  his  horse  for  eight  dollars,  and  that  is  soon 
eaten.  Home-sickness  sets  in.  He  sees  blue-birds, 
robins,  black-birds,  and  tries  "  to  fly  home "  after 
tliern  like  a  foolish  boy.  Then  he  swallows  his  pride 
and  goes  back  to  teaming — "pities  Continental  oxen." 
A  harder  trial  awaits  him  ;  his  trousers  give  out.  He 
could  get  no  cloth  for  new  ones  or  for  patching. 
"My  breeches,  O  my  breeches,"  he  bewails,  and 
finally  is  reduced  "  to  put  on  a  petticoat."  Among 
all  the  privations  endured  by  Revolutionary  soldiers, 
this  was  the  most  humiliating.  And  just  at  this  time 
Capt.  Hoyt's  house  is  burnt  down,  and  Zeph's  knap- 
sack is  consumed  with  all  his  worldly  goods,  viz. — 
two  canteens,  one  inkhorn  and  box  of  vrafers,  one 
gimlet,  one  pair  shoes,  one  case  bottle  of  West 
India  rum,  forty-nine  pounds  flax,  one  frock. 

"  April  22.  Fast  throughout  Continental  Army  ; 
did  no  work  &  drew  butter  for  the  whole  month,  eat 
victuals  now  at  the  school  house  and  lie  at  Major 
Gailors  on  a  feather  bed.    Take  care  of  sixteen  horses. 


A  life's  record.  173 

25.  Bought  cloth  for  breeches.  Gay!  Straddled 
two  horses  at  once  and  run  them  till  I  fell  through 
and  hurt  myself.  29.  O,  I  hant  got  no  breeches  yet 
but  today  boiled  or  washed  cloth  to  make  some  "  and 
next  day  they  Avere  made  and  donned. 

Various  diversions  w  ere  now  practicable,  such  as 
raiding  houses  and  mills  for  suspected  Tories— and 
at  the  end  of  three  months  Zeph  received  wages 
and  discharge,  and  gladly  started  homeward  with  a 
fellow^  freedm an— "Through  Woodbury  and  Water- 
bury,  over  the  mountain  through  Southington  to 
Tarmington,  Hartford,  Bolton,  Coventry,  Ashford." 
Beached  home  at  sun  two  hours  high,  a  pleasant 
tramp  in  the  freshness  of  youth  and  June. 

Four  days  at  home,  one  spent  in  "training  at  the 
meeting-house,"  and  our  restless  youth  sets  out  for 
Providence  with  his  brothers.  There  are  younger 
boys  to  help  the  old  folks  carry  on  the  Bleakridge 
farm,  and  the  older  ones  must  work  their  own  way  in 
the  world.  Zeph  finds  work  at  low  w^ages  till  drafted 
for  military  service.  For  these  are  stirring  times. 
With  the  French  fleet  outside  the  Bar,  and  La  Fay- 
ette and  Green  in  counsel  with  Sullivan,  and  all  the 
regiments  that  can  be  mustered  in,  and  companies  of 
militia,  hurrying  to  Ehode  Island  for  a  desperate 
effort  to  drive  away  the  British,  these  stout  young 
fellows  must  do  their  part.  Zeph's  hard  experience 
has  been  already  given. 


174  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

A  few  days'  rest  at  home  followed  the  campaign, 
when  he  called  upon  "  the  girls "  and  once  more 
"  went  to  meeting  in  the  meeting-house,"  and  then 
Zeph  resumed  work  in  the  vicinity  of  Providence, 
digging  stones,  laying  wall,  &c.  Home  at  Thanks- 
giving time  when  a  dance  was  on  hand.  He  hears 
of  the  death  of  one  of  the  expected  company — 
"  Benoni  Smith — the  ground  caved  in  while  he  was 
digging  out  above,  and  next  day  the  jury  sat  upon 
him  and  there  was  a  dance  that  night  and  I  went, 
which  at  the  time  I  did  not  think  it  was  a  fit  season ; 
funeral  next  day." 

Zeph  did  other  things  in  those  irrepressible  days 
discreetly  veiled  from  prying  eyes  in  undecypherable 
hieroglyphics,  for  w^ork  was  scarce  and  Satan  pro- 
portionately active.  Fiddling  and  flax-dressing  were 
resources  in  the  winter,  when  he  and  brother  John 
tramped  about  Connecticut,  and  found  a  job  far  over 
in  Cheshire — where  they  lived  well  and  had  plenty  of 
cider  and  good  company.  On  good  days  they  could 
dress  as  high  as  fifty-two  pounds — half  of  which  was 
their  own — and  on  bad  days  cut  rails  and  make 
l)rooms  with  true  Yankee  faculty. 

Again  in  '79  they  seek  work  and  fortune  in  Smith- 
field.  Times  are  hard  and  currency  all  "  out  of  joint." 
Zeph  gives  fifty-five  dollars  for  a  ready-made  linen 
shirt,  and  pays  for  other  needfuls  in  proportion.  The 
winter  following  was  emphatically  the  hard  one  when 


A  life's  record.  175 

sickness  and  suffering  prevailed  alike  at  camp  and  at 
home.  Walking  home  in  January,  1780,  Zeph  is 
caught  in  the  great  snow-storm,  struggles  through 
waist-deep  to  a  farm-house,  where  he  spends  the 
night.  Next  day  by  carrying  a  bushel  of  corn  two 
miles  to  mill  on  his  shoulders,  he  purchases  a  pair 
*'  of  wooden  shoes  or  rackets,"  which  did  good  service 
through  the  snowy  winter.  Towards  spring,  on  snow- 
shoes,  he  again  sought  for  flax-dressing,  but  luck  and 
work  now  failed  him. 

Resuming  wall  laying  in  Smithfield  he  records  a 
strange  phenomenon : 

"May  19,  1780.  Now  let  not  this  day  be  forgot. 
In  the  morning  it  was  cloudy  and  we  laid  a  little  wall, 
wind  southwest.  About  ten  o'clock  it  looked  darker 
and  I  expected  it  would  rain  and  it  grew  darker  and 
darker.  We  worked  at  the  wall  till  we  could  not  see 
to  range  ten  rods  right.  We  went  into  the  house  and 
it  was  about  twelve.  The  fire  shined  like  night. 
They  light  a  candle  to  eat  dinner.  The  air  or  clouds 
look  like  brass,  yellow,  and  things  too  I  reckon. 
20.  Last  night  was  as  much  darker  than  usual  as  the 
day  but  I  saw  it  not :  was  asleep." 

Zeph's  interest  in  meteorological  observation  was 
quite  in  advance  of  his  generation.  With  keen  eye 
he  notes  the  changes  of  the  weather,  the  direction  of 
the  wind,  the  coming  and  going  of  birds,  the  putting 
forth  of  buds.     "  Sept.  25, 1780.     I  see  a  star  plain  as 


176  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

the  sun  right  over  head  at  mid-day."  He  sees  it  day 
after  day.  "  It  rises  some  time  before  day  very  large 
and  bright." 

Star-gazing  in  those  days  alternates  with  sky -lark- 
ing. Zeph  is  in  great  demand  for  frolics  and  hnsk- 
ings,  and  handles  the  fiddle-boAv  as  deftly  as  the 
crow-bar.  Still  the  hieroglyphics  continue  and  mul- 
tiply, hinting  at  some  feminine  complication.  In 
frequent  visits  at  Bleakridge  they  become  more  vo- 
ciferous. The  course  of  true  love  is  not  running 
smoothly.  Finally  a  crisis  is  reached  and  Zeph 
breaks  out  into  open  lamentations.  He  waits  upon 
somebody  to  a  ball  but  is  almost  crazy.  He  can't  eat 
nor  sleep  and  don't  know  what  to  do  with  himself. 

'•  Talks  of  louping  o'er  a  lynn." 

Other  youth  have  survived  similar  mischances. 
Zeph  raves  and  tears  in  prescribed  fashion,  and  then 
takes  himself  back  to  work  in  Rhode  Island  ;  has  his 
"  hair  braided  the  new  braid"  and  starts  anew. 

Business  and  pablic  doings  now  receive  more  at- 
tention. Zeph  and  brother  John  hire  a  farm  and 
■carry  it  on  together,  with  pretty  sister  Mary  for 
housekeeper.  Men  go  to  Newport  for  a  month,  and 
Gen.  Washington  passes  through  Providence  and 
we  try  hard  to  get  a  peep  at  him.  Still  the  times  are 
no  better,  hard  work  and  poor  pay  is  the  cry.  "  I 
pay  sixty  dollars  for  an  ink-horn,  also  bu}^  a  sailor 
jacket  for  self  and  a  red  broad -cloth  cloak  for  sister 


A    LIFE  S    RECORD.  177 

Mary."  In  spite  of  Lard  times  the  young  folks  have 
a  merry  season.  "  Who  can  say  that  former  days 
were  better  than  the  present  ?"  What  a  state  of  so- 
ciety is  depicted  in  these  yellow  pages.  What  frol- 
icking, and  junketing,  and  promiscuous  intercourse 
among  these  young  people.  How  many  children 
came  into  the  world  without,  or  quickly  following, 
marriage  of  parents.  Statistical  Zeph  apparently 
chuckles  over  these  unseemly  entries.  "  A  baby  laid 
to  such  a  fellow,"  is  no  rarity  in  these  pages. 

After  two  years'  hard  Avork  the  farm  is  given  up 
and  wall-laying  resumed,  Avith  intervals  of  haying 
and  husking.  Peace  was  proclaimed  April,  1783,  and 
we  are  hoping  for  better  times — "  When  an  honest 
man  can  live  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow,  Sir." 

Hieroglyphics  appear  again  in  which  L.  B.  con- 
spicuously figures — "L.  B.  and  I  rode  down  to 
Brown's  farm  and  did  eat  and  drink — watermelons 
plenty."     And  then  comes  the  crowning  entry. 

"  Oct.  14, 1783.  Finished  Farnam's  wall ;  had  Jon- 
athan Angel's  horse  and  rode  home ;  then  took 
George  Streeter's  horse  and  L.  B.  and  rode  to  Elder 
Mitchell's  in  the  evening,  and  about  9  o'clock  we 
were  married  and  so  we  rode  back  again,  and  two 
better  beasts  than  we  rode  are  seldom  to  be  found, 
Sir,  your  most  obedient.  And  Elder  Mitchell  was  85 
years  old.  Oct.  15.  Kode  to  Angels  and  Streeters 
and  dug  stone."     Next  month  the  young  couple  get 


178  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

things  tog-ether  for  housekeeping-,  and  ride  to  Con- 
necticut to  keep  Thanksgiving-  with  old  Father 
Jacob,  and  appear  out  at  church  in  Priest  Russell's 
meeting-house,  and  Zeph's  fiddle  is  brought  into 
exercise. 

And  now,  with  wife  and  family  to  support,  our 
Zeph  is  busier  than  ever.  He  tries  various  schemes, 
Yankee  fashion ;  speculates  in  poultry  ;  works  "  at 
slaughtering;"  runs  a  meat-cart;  sells  liquor  and 
cakes  at  North  Providence  ordination,  and  then  falls 
back  upon  wall-laying.  Husks  and  fiddles  all  night 
through  the  autumn.  Hires  "  two  rooms  up  stairs 
and  one  bed-room,  half  garret,  needful  cellar-room  " 
for  twelve  silver  dollars  rentage.  But  times  are  hard 
and  even  this  low  rent  is  paid  with  difficulty.  Chil- 
dren come  on  apace.  A  cradle  is  one  of  the  first  ar- 
ticles of  furniture,  and  a  "little  lad"  is  soon  trotting 
round  and  tumbling  down  stairs.  Then  comes  an- 
other boy,  and  last  "  our  daughter  Dolly." 

And  now  come  several  hard  years  for  our  journal- 
ist. He  finds  that  life  is  something  more  than  a 
frolic.  He  works  hard  in  various  ways  but  can  hardly 
make  a  living.  There  is  the  same  cry  all  through  the 
States,  and  men  are  flocking  to  the  new  countries. 
Twice  our  Zeph  breaks  away,  axe  in  hand — the  first 
time  for  Wliitestown  on  the  Mohawk,  and  is  sent 
back  by  a  rumor  of  small-pox.  Again  the  next  year, 
1787,  he  trudges  up  to  the  Berkshire  Hills ;  visits  old 


A  life's  record.  179 

Uncle  Gideon  ;  looks  round  ;  but  his  heart  fails  him 
and  he  sneaks  back  home — "  a  long  journey  and  no 
profit  to  anybody,  but  'tis  past  and  cannot  be  re- 
called." Dec.  27,  pays  his  taxes ;  owes  fifteen  shil- 
lings and  has  nothing  in  the  world  but  his  head  and 
a  cow.  Gets  very  little  work  through  the  winter : 
neighbors  sicken  and  die  and  there  is  "  no  one  to 
assist  in  trouble."  "  A  child  found  on  Mowry's  farm 
supposed  to  have  been  murdered."  The  fiddle  is  sold 
and  frolicking  comes  to  an  end. 

But  there  are  brighter  days  in  store  for  the  young 
Eepublic.  AVilling  and  skillful  hands  will  not  always 
labor  for  a  mere  pittance.  Those  straggling,  strug- 
gling, debt-burdened  infant  States  are  to  be  bound 
together  into  a  compact  Ncttion  with  central  govern- 
ment and  financial  basis.  Little  Rhody,  with  all  her 
intense  individualism  and  assertion  of  State  rights, 
has  to  submit  to  manifest  destiny  and  overwhelming 
public  opinion.  Zeph  chronicles  the  rejoicings  "  on 
account  of  the  new  constitution  being  framed  and 
sent  out,"  and  the  barbecue  July  4, 1788,  when  "  they 
roast  a  whole  ox,"  but  his  sympathies  are  with  the 
"  Governor  and  Gen.  West  who  are  anti-federalists  " 
— and  anti-federal  ideas  stick  to  him  through  life. 

With  renewed  hope  he  hires  another  farm  this  same 
spring,  with  two  oxen,  ten  sheep,  six  cows ;  but  after 
two  years  has  to  borrow  money  to  square  up  accounts 
with  his  landlord.     Perhaps  the  good  condition  of 


180  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

the  family,  as  set  down  by  statistical  Zeph,  March^ 
1790,  has  something  to  do  with  this  failure.  They 
must  have  consumed  much  store  of  Rhode  Island 
pork  and  white  corn  meal.  Zeph  weighs  two  hundred 
pounds  ;  Mrs.  Zeph,  one  hundred  and  ninety ;  Pri- 
mus, seventy-nine  ;  Jack,  seventy-three ;  Dolly,  sixty- 
seven. 

After  many  failures  and  vexations  he  hires  a  large 
farm  at  halves  and  pitches  into  work  more  vigorously 
than  ever.  He  has  sixteen  cows,  four  oxen,  and  other 
stock  in  proportion ;  hires  two  stout  boys  for  six 
months  for  |38  each.  Wife  and  children  help  in  pick- 
ing up  apples  and  other  fruit,  with  one  hundred  and 
twenty  barrels  of  cider  and  forty-six  l)arrels  of  beer 
as  the  result  of  their  labor.  There  is  no  hint  of 
church-going  and  Sabbath-keeping,  but  the  children 
go  to  school  and  are  supplied  with  the  new  spelling- 
book — "  AVebster  make,"  and  busy  Zeph  manages  to 
get  time  "  to  hear  the  scholars  say  their  pieces." 
Fourteen  men  help  about  the  fall  husking,  and  six 
hogs  are  dressed,  weighing  1,787  pounds.  Free- 
handed Zeph  pays  his  help  forty  shillings  more  than 
the  bargain  in  return  "  for  eight  months  faithful  ser- 
vice." "  Rafting  thatch  "  for  some  of  his  buildings, 
Zeph  has  a  narrow  escape :  loses  his  footing,  goes 
down  under  the  water,  and  sticks  fast  in  the  mud. 
Two  men,  clutching  him  by  the  arm,  are  not  able  to 
stir  him  till  others  juried  him  out  A\dth  a  haj^pole.     "  I 


A  life's  record.  181 

did  breathe  three  times  Avhile  under  the  water,"  but 
got  home  alive,  "  thanks  be  to  God,"  and  we  rejoice 
in  this  ejaculation. 

"  Work,  work,  work,"  goes  on  with  unabated  vigor. 
Another  great  crop  of  apples  is  transmuted  into  beer 
and  cider ;  and  cheese,  butter,  and  pork,  turned  out 
in  heavy  bulk.  But  with  all  this  labor  there  is  little 
real  profit.  The  great  fruit  farm,  so  near  to  Provi- 
dence, draws  a  superabundance  of  company.  Mar- 
ried sons  and  daughters  of  the  owner  flock  thither 
in  and  out  of  season,  and  the  house  is  filled  with 
company  and  confusion.  The  children  fall  ill  from 
lack  of  care  and  accommodations,  and  Zeph  and  his 
wife  tire  of  their  hard  bargain. 

And  now  old  Father  Jacob  comes  to  the  rescue. 
Doubtless  his  faithful  old  heart  had  long  yearned 
over  his  Ehode  Island  prodigal,  and  now  he  open& 
home  and  farm  to  him.  The  other  children  are  out 
in  the  world,  and  a  place  is  ready  for  him — "  Come 
back  to  the  good  land  of  yellow  corn  and  steady 
habits,  come  back  to  church-going  and  town-meet- 
ing, come  back  from  Egypt  to  Canaan ! "  and  Zeph 
has  sense  enough  to  heed  the  call. 

"  April  1,  1796.  Sat  up  all  night  and  wife  too,  to 
fix  things  to  move."  He  went  out  alone  with  his  fid- 
dle-bow, and  came  back  with  a  goodly  caravan — wife, 
three  children,  household  goods,  and  a  small  herd  of 
cattle.     Yet  after  years  of  hard  toil  he  left  debts  be- 

16 


182  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

hind  him,  and  confides  to  his  journal  that  he  owned 
nothing  but  a  small  stock  of  furniture. 

With  old-time  versatility  Zeph  adapts  himself  to 
the  situation,  attends  town-meetings,  school-meet- 
ings, trainings,  ordinations,  and  funerals.  For  meet- 
ing-going he  has  lost  his  relish,  and  the  Rhode  Is- 
land wife  "  cares  for  none  of  these  things."  His 
energy  finds  outlet  beyond  the  narrow  farm  routine  ; 
he  picks  up  ashes  and  experiments  in  potash-making, 
hires  a  saw-mill  and  gets  out  boards.  With  hard 
work  he  achieves  344  pounds  of  potash,  which  he 
carts  to  Providence  and  ships  to  New  York,  receiv- 
ing ninet}^  dollars  cash  in  return.  Another  venture 
brought  him  an  hundred  dollars.  Yes,  our  Zeph  is 
getting  on  at  last  and  settling  down  into  an  order- 
loving,  Connecticut  citizen,  with  a  little  more  snap 
to  him  than  common.  Soon  he  is  made  "  school 
committee-man  "  for  his  district,  and  "  went  to  Taun- 
ton and  hired  a  schoolmaster  for  four  months  for 
forty-one  dollars."  Then,  too,  his  politics  are  in  his 
favor.  These  Bleakridge  farmers  sniff  at  the  stiff- 
necked  orthodoxy  of  the  old  Federal  leaders,  and 
welcome  the  new  Jeffersonian  doctrines  as  expounded 
by  our  breezy  Zeph,  and  he  leads  the  small  minority 
that  cast  their  votes  for  Thomas  Jefferson. 

He  goes  to  Oxford  to  attend  "  the  Artifillians  Fu- 
neral," observed  in  honor  of  Gen.  Washington,  "  that 
w^orthy  general,  who  died  December  14, 1799."    Again 


A  life's  record.  183 

nnd  again  lie  rides  to  Oxford  to  hear  the  noted  Uni- 
Tersalist,  Hosea  Ballou,  whose  preaching  suits  him 
better  than  that  of  the  plain-speaking  Ba^Dtists  and 
Methodists  who  are  active  in  his  neighborhood.  More 
deaths  than  births  are  now  recorded  ;  more  funerals 
than  weddings.  Those  old  Bleakridge  settlers  are 
dropping  off.  Uncle  Bijali  "fell  into  the  fire  and 
died  when  there  was  no  one  in  the  room."  Ten 
years  later  his  aged  widow  found  dead  on  the  ground 
two  rods  from  the  house — all  right  the  night  pre- 
vious ;  "  got  up  and  dressed  and  took  her  pail  and  staff 
and  went  out  to  the  well ;  slipt  down,  no  one  hearing 
her,  and  she  perished  in  the  cold  snow  and  rain." 

In  spite  of  these  inevitable  shadows  it  is  a  happy 
time  at  the  Breakridge  farm.  The  old  people  are 
easy-going  and  cheerful,  and  the  young  folks  merry 
and  thriving.  They  go  to  school  and  church  and 
singing-school,  and  have  young  company.  The  boys 
are  getting  helpful  at  farm-work.  Dolly  has  grown 
up  tall  and  comely — "  A  right  smart  girl,"  the  neigh- 
bors say,  "  her  father  over  again."  "  May  11,  1801. 
Dolly  ketcht  cold  by  wading  in  the  river  ;  has  pain  in 
her  side,"  and  herb-drink  does  not  seem  to  help  her. 
Spring  work  is  driving,  but  this  illness  is  more  than 
all.  Early  in  June  she  is  attacked  with  violent  pain 
in  her  head — is  light-headed  and  full  of  pain.  Doctors 
are  called  from  far  and  near.  Wise  old  Dr.  Eaton 
from  Dudley;    famous  Dr.  Hubbard  from  Pomfret 


184  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

each  with  his  saddle-bags  and  train  of  "  apprentices." 
Dr.  Hubbard  stays  six  hours  with  her  but  there  is  no 
relief.  It  is  the  height  of  the  busy  season  ;  haying 
is  coming  on  ;  the  potash  kettle  breaks  in  the  melt- 
ing ;  hail-stones  fall  as  large  as  an  ounce  ball ;  but 
what  are  these  things  compared  with  Dolly's  sick- 
ness ?  "I  stay  in  the  house  all  day  and  only  turn 
some  hay  :  wife  and  I  sit  up  all  night.  Dolly  grows 
weaker  and  has  no  sense  at  all — a  sorrowful  spectacle 
to  behold."  "  July  1.  Very  hot.  Dolly  grew  weaker 
every  hour.  I  was  up  tmce  before  3  o'clock  and  then 
O  lamentable,  at  half  past  four  July  2,  the  breath 
left  the  body  of  our  daughter  Dolly.  This  morn 
makes  twenty-one  days  and  nights  that  this  poor  girl 
has  had  such  an  extreme  pain  in  her  head  and  a  fever 
almost  burnt  up.  The  Doctor  calls  it  the  Phrenitus 
and  then  the  Pubmatick  fever.  3.  Elder  C.  did 
preach  and  the  funeral  attended  this  afternoon." 

Work  is  resumed  next  day,  hoeing  and  mowing. 
Poor  Zeph  sees  Dolly  in  his  dreams  ;  holds  her  in  his 
arms,  "looking  just  as  she  did  when  a  baby,"  and 
then  the  name  drops  out  from  daily  record.  Primus 
goes  to  high  school  in  Dudley  for  a  term  and  then 
keeps  school  himself.  Jack,  our  youngest  boy,  starts 
out  in  the  world  to  work  on  the  Boston  turnpike. 

"May  8, 1802.  Snowed  all  the  afternoon.  9.  Froze 
hard  enough  to  bear  a  horse ;  cold  and  dry ;  no 
grass."     Zeph  and  his  wife  drive  on  with  work  all 


185 


the  same,  and  watch  with  their  sick  neighbors,  for  it 
is  a  sickly  season,  dysentery  prevaiHng,  and  many 
die.  Jack  comes  home  from  his  summer's  work 
hearty  and  rugged,  with  a  hundred  dollars  for  his 
father,  besides  what  he  keeps  for  himself.  Zeph  sets 
out  apple  trees,  improves  his  farm  and  helps  on  pub- 
lic occasions ;  takes  both  his  boys  to  help  raise  a 
frame  for  the  new  Baptist  meeting-house,  where  a 
hundred  men  gather,  and  they  have  dinner,  supper, 
and  liquor  enough  for  all.  Trainings  are  com- 
mon, too,  where  liquor  flows  in  abundance.  There 
is  a  "  General  Training"  at  Woodstock — a  great  pa- 
rade, ending  in  much  confusion.  The  day  being  hot 
"  many  did  near  faint.  Yery  dark  night,  with  thun- 
der and  lightning ;  many  rode  off  the  road ;  fell  off 
and  got  hurt ;  horses  could  not  see."  Fortunately 
for  Zeph  "  rum  was  most  poisinous  to  him  for  some 
years,"  and  he  quit  drinking. 

Politics  are  very  lively  at  the  time  of  Jefferson's 
re-election,  and  Zeph  proudly  reports  "sixteen  Re- 
publican votes,"  with  larger  gains  in  prospect.  Bap- 
tists and  Methodists  are  coming  out  against  the  old 
Federalists  and  Standing  Order.  In  1806  Zeph  is 
very  active  in  carrying  through  a  great  Republican 
Fourth  of  July  celebration  at  the  Centre.  He  helps 
build  a  bower,  arranges  toasts,  provides  musicians. 
A  flaming  Methodist  leads  in  prayer,  and  a  fervent 
Baptist  elder  delivers   the  oration.      Federals   and 

16* 


186  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

orthodox  look  glum  enough  at  the  parade,  while 
Zeph  goes  home  in  triumph  and  reports  ninety-six 
Kepublican  votes  at  the  next  election. 

Other  public  matters  claim  attention — "  a  new  road 
to  be  laid  over  Bleakridge ;  schools  to  be  looked 
after."  Zeph  hires  a  school-ma'am  to  keep  school 
three  months  for  five  shillings  a  week,  while  Primus 
gets  twelve  dollars  a  month  for  his  services.  Here 
are  some  medical  prescriptiops  for  colds  and  swollen 
face — "  a  sirup  of  dogwood,  marshmallow,  barberry, 
tansy  and  wormwood  boiled  with  rum  and  molasses 
— Substitute  red-briar  for  dogwood  and  barberry  and 
boil  in  spring  water  that  runs  to  the  north."  Some- 
time during  these  years  Primus  marries,  somewhat 
against  the  approval  of  the  parents,  and  "  has  a 
daughter  Avithout  much  clatter,"  and  Jack  slips  off 
to  live  with  his  Uncle  Abel. 

As  the  family  lessens,  work  and  business  increase. 
There  is  progress  in  the  air.  The  life  and  stir  of  the 
new  century  and  republic  are  reaching  this  remote 
corner.  The  "  factory  "  has  come  to  stay.  Great 
mills  for  working  up  cotton  are  going  up  within  a 
few  miles.  Zeph  hires  a  saw-mill  to  get  out  boards 
for  the  buildings.  Scarcely  has  he  begun  work  when 
he  is  caught  in  a  freshet.  "  June  14, 1807.  Eains  all 
day.  15.  A  very  great  flood  indeed ;  so  high  was 
never  seen  before  by  more  than  one  foot ;  new  bridge 
carried   away  " — but  by  working  and  watching  day 


A  life's  record.  1ST 

and  night  Zepli  manages  to  save  his  mill.  The  next 
year  the  road-making  is  resumed.  Over  seventy 
men  at  work,  with  many  oxen,  plows,  and  carts. 
Zeph  leads  with  six  men  and  four  oxen,  and  furnishes 
cider  by  the  barrel,  but  again  "  contradiction  and 
dispute "  block  the  wheels  of  progress,  and  the 
needed  road  is  left  unfinished.  With  all  his  digging 
and  driving  he  is  ready  to  help  in  sickness  ;  attends 
the  funeral  of  a  neighbor's  wife,  and  "  the  most  peo- 
ple present  I  ever  saw  at  a  funeral."  A  little  girl 
neighbor,  four  or  five  years  old,  "  got  up  in  a  cart 
and  jumped  about,  and  fell  over  the  foot-board,  and 
€ries, '  I  have  killed  myself,'  and  died  in  half  an  hour." 
Zeph  carries  six  to  the  grave  in  his  big  wagon. 

"  Sept.  15,  1808.  Drove  a  wagon  to  Pomfret  to 
Jlegimental  training,  and  carried  four  men  for  three - 
and-sixpence  each."  Three  days  later  and  the  big 
wagon  takes  a  load  of  eight  "  to  hear  the  Methodists 
at  their  first  camp-meeting.  They  keep  it  five  days 
and  nights.  Oct.  14.  Carry  wool  to  be  carded  at 
the  Factory — Cut  sausage  meat  and  filled  the  skins 
with  a  tin  on  purpose — a  great  improvement  upon 
stuffing  it  in  by  fingers." 

"  1809,  March  4.  James  Madison  takes  his  seat  as 
president.  Sept.  4.  Eaise  in  all  a  hundred  and  fifty 
bushels  of  potatoes.  Nov.  8.  Father  rather  poorly. 
12.  Had  a  bad  night,  sat  up  in  chair.  25.  Father 
worse,  rather  more  weak  and  faint ;  sleeps  most  of 


188  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

the  day  ;  fails  fast.  26.  Some  above  8  o'clock  my 
iather  left  this  earthly  tabernacle.  15.  Eain  ;  Elder 
C.  preaches  ;  funeral  set  at  11,  went  to  the  grave  at 
3  P.  M."  The  aged  mother  soon  follows— "May  11, 
1810.  Mother  very  poorly.  22.  Mother  seemed  in 
m  ore  extremity,  and  left  breathing  a  little  after  three. 
Four  of  her  nine  children  attend  the  funeral,  where 
Elder  C.  officiates  as  previously  for  Dolly  and  father." 

And  now  Zeph  is  left  with  wife,  work,  and  weather 
observations.  "1810,  Jan.  14.  The  coldest  day  that 
m  ost  ever  was  known,"  the  "  cold  Friday  "  of  mete- 
orologic  fame.  "March  12.  A  great  snow  fifteen 
inches  deep."  A  school  quarrel  demands  heroic 
treatment.  Zeph  is  one  of  three  men  chosen  by  the 
district  "  to  see  what  was  to  be  done,"  and  he  "  went 
to  the  school  inspectors  and  brought  eight  of  them 
down  to  the  school  house,  where  they  heard  all  sides 
and  corrected  both  parties." 

A  new  era  opens  this  autumn  of  1810.  "I  take 
yarn  from  Pomfret  Factory  to  weave."  A  great 
opportunity  has  come  to  these  suppressed  New 
England  women.  Weaving  this  smoothly-spun  yarn 
into  cloth  they  receive  good  pay  in  any  kind  of  goods 
they  fancy.  How  the  tongues  and  shuttles  rattle  in 
many  a  farm-house.  Our  friend,  Mrs.  Zeph,  is  one  of 
the  first  to  improve  the  privilege.  Everything  else 
gives  place  to  the  cloth  weaving ;  even  neighborly 
•calls  and  afternoon  going-out-to-tea  are  suspended. 


A  life's  record.  189 

'•''  I  hope  you  read  your  Bible,"  hints  Elder  C.  in  one 
of  his  pastoral  visitations.  "  Gracious,"  was  the 
quick  reply,  "  I  don't  git  time  to  look  in  the  alma- 
nik."  Four  pieces  of  heavy  bed-tick  are  carried 
hack  to  the  Factory  in  December  and  broad-cloth 
taken  in  exchange.  Then  two  tailoresses  appear  and 
exhibit  for  their  week's  work  great  coats  for  Mrs. 
Zeph  and  Jack,  straight-body  coats  for  Zeph  and 
Jack,  and  two  waistcoats,  for  which  work  each  re- 
ceives one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents.  Yarn  for 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  bed-ticking  is 
"brought  home  for  spring  work,  and  while  the  "  good 
wdfe  plies  the  shuttle,"  her  good  man  hires  a  grist 
mill  for  the  season,  and  by  help  of  fourteen  oxen  and 
as  many  men,  set  a  new  millstone.  Another  rebellion 
in  the  school-house  is  settled  without  outside  inter- 
vention.    "  They  could  not  turn  out  the  master." 

September,  1812.  Zeph  takes  seven  passengers  for 
a,  dollar  each  to  witness  the  brigade  training  at 
Brooklyn.  He  reports,  "five  regiments  on  parade, 
■one  of  horse,  twenty-five  hundred  troops,  and  four 
times  as  many  spectators,  something  of  a  war-like 
appearance  " — an  exhibition  calculated  to  rouse  more 
interest  in  the  war  then  in  progress. 

1813,  June  21.  Jack,  now  at  home  for  the  summer, 
is  warned  "  to  be  at  the  Centre  tavern  complete  in 
larmor  by  twelve  to  go  to  New  London  as  there  were 
JBritish  there."  Four  neighbors'  boys  obeyed  the  same 


190  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

summons,  "  most  of  the  infantry  and  all  the  militia 
that  did  not  abscond,"  for  this  war  is  unpopular  in 
New  England,  and  even  Administration  men  like 
Zeph  and  his  neighbors  have  little  enthusiasm.  Those 
that  stood  fire  were  marched  into  the  meeting-house, 
and  treated  to  a  spirited  address  from  the  minister 
before  starting  on  their  march.  Communications  with 
the  outside  world  are  still  infrequent,  and  little  was 
heard  from  the  absentees  during  their  three  weeks 
service.  The  invasion  was  not  accomplished,  and  the 
boys  had  a  good  time  and  brought  back,  instead  of 
laurels,  ~£i  list  of  false  alarms,  fizzles,  and  ridiculous 
sayings  and  doings  that  made  sport  for  a  life-time. 
Reports  of  naval  victories  enkindled  war-like  sympa- 
thies. "  October  3.  Hear  that  Commodore  Perry 
hath  taken  six  British  vessels  on  Lake  Erie." 

Elemental  disturbances  receive  more  specific  record. 
"  February  10,  1814.  Eains  hard  and  froze  on  trees ; 
fore  twelve  at  night  trees  began  to  break  and  split, 
and  the  dreadfullest  cracking  that  ever  I  heard.  They 
say  it  was  like  the  report  of  heavy  artillery.  11.  The 
trees  bowed  their  heads  like  weeping  willows,  a 
melancholy  sight,  and  the  fruit  trees  are  broken  as 
the  oldest  man  never  saw  before." 

"  1815,  Jan.  31.  Exceeding  cold,  coldest  morning 
for  many  years  by  the  thermometer."  The  historic 
September  gale  came  the  same  year.  "Rained  very 
fast;  hard  wind;  between  9  and  10  A.  M.  began  a 


A  life's  record.  191 

tornado ;  southeast  wind  blew  very  hard  indeed ;. 
hath  torn  down  thirty-seven  large  apple-trees,  and 
upset  many  smaller  ones ;  near  all  our  fence  torn 
down  and  timber  lands  most  dreadfully  turned  up  by 
the  roots." 

The  cold  summer  of  1816,  handed  down  by  tradi- 
tion as  the  '' starved-to-death  "  summer — is  duly  and 
daily  noted.  "May  7.  Windy  and  very  cold.  17. 
Very  cold.  29,  30.  Yery  cold  and  dry  with  frost. 
June  4.  Frost.  6.  Very  cold  night,  ice  froze  as 
hard  as  window  glass  ;  put  up  sheared  sheep.  7. 
Very  exceeding  cold  ;  wore  coat,  jacket,  surtout,  and 
wig,  and  none  too  hot.  10.  A  very  hard  frost,  ice 
as  thick  as  half  a  window  glass ;  corn  cut  close  to 
the  ground."  This  condition  prevailed  through  the 
entire  season — cold  and  dry  with  a  few  warm  days  . 
Very  cold  spells  in  July,  August,  and  September. 
Zeph  harvests  five  loads  of  corn,  "  two  good-for- 
nothing  but  fodder,  only  two  bushels  fully  ripe." 

"1817,  Feb.  14.  Caught  in  Providence  by  a  cold 
sna]3  exceeding  anything  that  hath  been  in  fifty  years 
by  the  thermometer — Avarmed  four  times  coming 
home  ;  many  froze  some  but  I  did  not,  coldest  night 
most  ever  I  see."  Another  cold  spell  came  in  May  . 
"  12.  Cold  night,  ice  on  grass.  16.  A  very  large 
black  frost,  exceeding  cold.  20.  Ice  on  grass-top 
like  shot.     21,  22.     Hard  frosts." 

These  frost-bitten  crops  and  war  prices  make  hard 


192  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

times  for  the  jDOor,  but  Zepli  is  fore-handed  now  and 
able  to  relieve  needy  neighbors,  lending-  them  money 
and  helping  in  many  ways.  Meanwhile  the  loom  is 
busy  as  ever,  turning  off  great  pieces  of  bed- tick, 
gingham,  and  "  dimino."  "  "War's  alarms "  do  not 
disturb  the  peace  of  the  old  farm-house.  Jack  is 
living  at  home  now  with  a  brisk,  young  wife — a 
neighbor's  daughter,  very  acceptable  to  the  old  folks, 
and  grandchildren  are  making  the  house  merry. 
Primus  is  plodding  along  steadily  and  has  a  houseful 
of  stout  boys  and  girls,  some  of  them  always  stop- 
ping at  "  Grandpa's."  And  there  are  hired  men  at 
work  on  mill  and  farm,  travelers  stopping  to  chat, 
townsmen  discussing  war  and  politics — a  busy,  cheer- 
ful, prosperous  household,  Avith  Zeph  for  head  and 
centre. 

"  Feb.  14,  1815.  Hear  news  of  peace,  Peccce!  28. 
Federalists  celebrate  P.  E.  A.  C.  E.  between  America 
and  England  at  the  Centre,  and  there  is  a  great  ball 
in  the  evening.  March  4,  1817.  James  Monroe 
takes  the  chair  as  president  and  David  D.  Tompkins 
as  vice-president."  The  war  is  over  now,  but  there 
is  a  battle  going  on  in  Connecticut ;  a  fierce  fight  for 
a  new  State  constitution,  and  our  Zeph  is  one  of  the 
foremost  fighters.  They  say  he  is  captain  there  at 
Bleakridge,  and  brings  down  loads  of  men  in  his  big 
wagon  to  town  meeting.  "  Sept.  4.  Went  to  Free- 
man's meeting  and  the  Republicans  chose  two  Rep- 
resentatives to  our  liking  ;  farmers ;  a  good  day." 


A  life's  record.  193 

"  July  4,  1818.  Went  to  town  meeting  to  choose 
delegates  to  send  to  Hartford  to  frame  a  constitution 
for  the  State  of  Connecticut.  Federalists  had  two 
votes  most.  Sept.  29.  Heard  Constitution  read." 
A  week  later  town  accepted  constitution  by  a  vote  of 
174  versus  95,  and  Zeph  is  "  well  pleased."  And  now 
the  Republicans  have  control  in  the  old  Federal 
town,  and  Zeph  is  selectman.  His  energy  and  ver- 
satility find  ample  scope  in  his  new  office.  Now  he 
is  letting  out  the  poor  to  be  boarded  for  a  dollar  or 
seventy-hve  cents  a  week;  or  buying  a  new  town 
hearse  ;  or  laying  out  roads ;  or  deliberating  with 
officers  from  other  towns  where  to  set  the  new  court- 
house. A  special  service  is  performed  in  perambu- 
lating the  boundary  line  between  Massachusetts  and 
Connecticut,  involving  ten  days  labor.  "  July  5, 1819. 
See  the  blazing  star." 

With  increasing  years  and  honors,  Zeph  manifests 
greater  zeal  for  public  worship ;  owns  two  pews  in 
the  Baptist  meeting-house,  and  helps  on  repairs  for 
the  same,  and  buying  a  farm  for  the  minister.  Ordi- 
nations, association  meetings,  baptisms,  funerals,  are 
duly  chronicled.  A  great  "  revival  season  "  excites 
much  interest.  Sees  "  Elder  C.  baptize  seven  of  them 
young  girls,  and  hears  two  more  tell  the  travail  of 
their  minds ;  staid  to  see  them  take  sacrament,  home 
at  sundown."  "  April  5, 1820.  See  three  dipt  at  Bap- 
tist meeting-house.     June  14.     AVent  to  Baptist  meet- 


194  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

ing-house  and  heard  a  woman  preach  from  Vermont 
and  she  preached  well,  I  thought  too.  18.  Went  to 
meeting  and  Elder  C.  he  whipt  us  smart  for  hearing 
a  woman  preach  and  I  wish  he  had  heard  her  him- 
self." [It  is  said  that  Elder  C.  referred  to  this  woman 
preacher  who  had  been  allowed  to  occupy  the  pulpit 
in  his  absence  "  as  a  grievous  wolf  who  had  entered 
the  fold."] 

Common  and  uncommon  casualties  find  place  in 
the  record.  A  small  fire  starting  by  the  roadside 
"  went  up  the  hill  as  fast  as  a  man  could  walk  ;  fought 
fire  as  long  as  we  could  see ;  next  morn,  rallied  early 
and  fit  fire  to  Alump  Pond — thirty-four  men.  It  ran 
north  a  vast  ways,  cutting  all  before  it." 

"April,  1821.  Neighbor  M.'s  died  this  day  about 
mid-day,  sudden ;  fell  over  backwards  in  her  chair ; 
taken  up  and  said  she  was  dying  and  it  was  so.  June 
20.  Hard  thunder  shower,  lightning  struck  powder 
house.  This  clap  struck  down  H.  C,  flung  him  down 
lifeless,  but  he  came  to,  was  blue  but  full  of  pain. 
Sept.  1.  As  hard  a  shower  as  ever  I  kuew,  filled  up 
streams  like  a  freshet.  3.  Strong  S.  E.  mnd  and 
rain,  many  trees  blown  down,  fences  and  most  of  our 
apples.  15.  Down  by  the  pond  trod  on  a  water- 
snake,  and  it  bit  my  leg,  and  it  swelled  and  was  sore. 
Kept  on  working.  24.  Leg  no  better,  swollen  more, 
pain  some.  25.  Had  a  hen  split  open  and  put  on  my 
leg-  three  or  four  hours,  then  burdock  leaves.     26. 


A  life's  record.  195 

Put  on  more  leaves  and  went  to  see  the  regiment  per- 
form at  the  Centre.  28.  Put  meadow  moss  on  leg 
and  it  looks  more  purple.  29.  Set  out  for  Franklin 
to  see  Dr.  M.  and  he  said  he  could  cure  the  bite  of  a 
snake,  had  poultice.  30.  Another  poultice  and  physic, 
jDills  at  night.  Oct.  1.  A  wash  and  two  pills.  2. 
Physic  and  water  gruel.  3.  Leg  looks  better.  5.  Had 
bandage  made  and  Dr.  M.  put  it  on.  Paid  Dr.  M.  ten 
dollars  for  attendance  and  nearly  five  dollars  for 
board." 

At  home  he  resumes  work,  taking  Dr.  M.'s  powders, 
but  the  leg  does  not  heal.  All  winter  he  is  doctor- 
ing and  poulticing,  and  goes  to  see  a  man  who  had 
been  similarly  afflicted  by  the  sting  of  a  wasp,  but 
gets  no  benefit.  Finally  he  puts  his  case  into  the 
hands  of  a  "  woman  quack  doctor,"  who,  by  vari- 
ous washes  and  treatments,  succeeds  in  reducing  the 
inflammation,  but  he  never  regained  his  former 
strength.  That  he  should  have  survived  the  poison 
and  treatment  shows  great  vitality.  A  neighbor, 
who  while  cutting  wood  was  called  to  go  down  into 
his  well  for  a  bucket,  was  taken  with  great  pain, 
shivery,  cold  sweat,  and  died  in  twenty  minutes. 

March,  1826.  Work  is  laid  aside,  and  Zeph  is 
driving  round  buying  store-cloth,  a  new  hat  and  pair 
of  boots,  and  finally  a  trunk.  What  does  this  mean  ? 
We  look  back  along  the  crumpled  page,  and  there, 
half  concealed  by  old-time  hieroglyphics,  we  find  the 


196  HISTORIC    GLEA'NINGS. 

key  to  the  situation.  The  crowning^  honor  of  his  life 
has  come — Zeph  has  been  chosen  town  representa- 
tive and  is  going  to  the  legislature !  Little  did  he 
think  when  he  tramped  through  the  State  fifty  years 
before,  driving  team  and  swingling  flax,  that  he 
should  revisit  those  scenes  m  such  honored  guise  and 
company,  driving  in  coach  and  four  with  fellow  legis- 
lators. But  these  lifty  years  of  life  and  work  have 
taken  the  spring  and  nonsense  out  of  him,  and  it  is 
a  somewhat  sober  old  fellow  that  now  drives  over  the 
hills.  "  I  feel  neither  smart  nor  courageous,"  is  his 
meek  admission  ;  in  fact  he  is  homesick  and  out  of 
his  element.  He  boards  at  "  Widow  Bishop's,"  and 
sees  a  steamboat  and  other  new  things,  and  we  may 
be  sure  he  never  missed  a  roll-call,  and  voted  the 
straight  party  ticket.  But  one  permanent  effect  came 
from  this  New  Haven  sojourn.  Among  his  fellow 
boarders  there  was  a  glib  Methodist  minister  wha 
walked  and  talked  with  our  homesick  legislator,  and 
somehow  made  clear  to  him  some  things  that  had 
before  puzzled  him,  perhaps  those  Calvinistic  points 
that  have  bothered  wiser  heads  than  his.  However 
that  may  be,  Zeph  joins  a  Methodist  class  after  his 
return,  and  slipping  down  to  the  river  is  quietly  bap- 
tized one  Sabbath  summer  evening. 

The  shadows  lengthen.  Zeph  seems  an  older  man 
after  his  return  from  New  Haven.  The  year  of  1828 
was  especially  calamitous.     "  A  cow  breaks  her  leg 


A  life's  record.  197 

and  lias  to  be  killed ;  sad  for  the  poor  cow  ; "  an  ox 
sickens  and  dies ;  tlie  colt  dies ;  it  is  a  bad  season 
for  lambs  and  sheep,  and  even  the  geese  refuse  to 
liatch  properly.  Cut-Avorms  appear  in  great  force 
and  cut  off  the  young  blades  of  corn.  June  30,  a 
hard  thunder  shower.  Nathan's  new  house  "was 
struck ;  the  clock  was  torn  to  pieces,  and  a  dog  un- 
der the  table  killed ;  but  a  "  deaf  boy  heard  better 
after  the  shock."  And  it  is  w^hat  old  people  call  "  a 
Tery  dying  time,  indeed."  Neighbors  and  kindred 
drop  off  like  autumn  leaves.  One  brother  dies  after 
long  illness  ;  one  is  found  dead  on  the  road,  supposed 
to  have  fallen  off  his  cart  wdien  asleep.  Pretty  sister 
Mary,  w^ho  kept  house  for  us  long  ago  in  Rhode  Is- 
land, comes  from  the  West  to  visit  her  old  home  and 
dies  soon  after  her  return.  Sister  Hannah,  living 
near  by,  soon  follows.  This  neighbor  w^astes  aw^ay 
in  long  disease,  Zeph  and  his  wdfe  watching  wdth  him 
night  after  night,  after  their  old,  helpful  fashion. 
That  one,  going  cross-lots  through  a  wet  place  stum- 
bled "  and  fell  forward  with  his  forehead  against  a 
stone  and  his  face  in  the  water  and  died  surpris- 
ing." Another  is  drowned  in  his  saw-mill  flume. 
Saddest  of  all  was  that  of  the  lone,  lorn  w^oman  found 
dead  in  the  sw^amj^.  It  is  supposed  "  she  got  up  in 
the  night  in  a  fright  by  the  wind  blowing  very  hard 
and  started  for  a  neighbors  but  got  out  of  her  way 
into  the  swamp  where  she  fell.     She  left  her  shoes 


198  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

and  stockings  in  the  house."  Poor  lone  creature, 
flying  barefoot  and  panic  struck  to  meet  her  death  in 
the  dank  swamp — does  fiction  parallel  these  trage- 
dies of  real  life  ? 

But  a  new  source  of  comfort  has  come  to  our  old 
journalist.  Politics  have  lost  much  of  their  interest 
with  change  of  party  names  and  measures.  We  are 
Democrats  now  fighting  Whigs,  Banks,  and  Anti- 
Masons,  but  not  with  the  old  fervor.  There  are 
things  of  more  vital  interest  upon  the  stage.  These 
are  the  days  of  "  the  great  revivals  of  1830-33,"  and 
Zeph's  whole  heart  is  in  the  joyful  work.  Meetings 
are  held  everywhere,  at  private  houses  and  meeting- 
houses ;  "  pike-gate  and  grove."  "  See  Elder  T.  bap- 
tize old  Miss  W.  and  many  people."  "  Benjamin  A's 
son  speaks  like  j)reaching,  many  more  talk ;  a  very 
good  meeting."  "Elder  Lovejoy  is  here,  (a  noted 
name  and  preacher.)  Two  w^ere  plunged  and  two 
more  had  water  poured  on  their  heads."  "Aug., 
1830,  went  to  meeting  in  a  tent,  36  x  20 — some  speak- 
ing, no  preaching ;  tent  full  and  many  more  outside." 
Camp  meetings  and  "  protracted  meetings  "  are  kept 
up  the  following  year,  and  Zeph  reads  his  Bible 
through  by  course  in  the  interim,  beginning  January 
1  and  finishing  March  31. 

The  clouds  darken.  The  mother  of  the  household, 
the  strong,  bustling,  hard-working  wife  and  mother 
is  failing  in  strength,  but  the  work  goes  on  as  usual 


A  life's  record.  199 

and  the  loom  is  seldom  idle.  Zepli,  whose  turn  for 
rhyming  gains  upon  him,  sends  this  humorous  missive 
to  a  neighbor  : 

"  My  old  dame  is  sick  and  poorly, 
And  now  there  is  more  yarn  yet  lacking, 
She  thought  she'd  state  the  matter  fairly 
And  have  you  bring  the  filling  airly, 
And  if  you  don't  bring  more  blue  than  red 
You  had  better  put  yourself  to  bed, 
She  hath  been  sick  and  kept  a-drilling. 
And  now  hath  stopped  for  want  of  filling." 

But  the  trouble  increases  and  becomes  more  mani- 
fest. Work  can  no  longer  stifle  the  growing  anguish. 
Neighbors  flock  in  apace  ;  sometimes  ''  six  women  at 
once."  Poultices  of  every  conceivable  material,  hot 
and  cold,  dry  and  liquid,  are  vainly  applied.  "  Very 
full  of  pain,"  "  wastes  fast,"  are  the  discouraging  en- 
tries. These  are  "  solemn  times  "  for  our  light-hearted 
Zeph.  Three  funerals  reported  in  one  day  and  things 
growing  worse  at  home.  "  Sad,  sad,  sad."  "  Bad, 
bad,  bad.  A  very  bad  day  with  some  and  I  am 
sorrowful."  But  the  illness  was  short.  Worn  with 
hard  work  and  life's  burdens  the  strong  frame  soon 
succumbs.  "  She  fell  a-bleeding,  grew  dark  to  her, 
faint,  and  she  died  just  before  twelve,  Sept.  14,  1831, 
aged  73." 

And  now  Zeph  is  left  in  the  old  home  with  Jack 
and  his  wife  at  the  head  of  affairs.     But  he  is  still  too 


200  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

vigorovis  in  mind  and  body  to  settle  down  into  a 
subordinate  position,  and  public  affairs  claim  atten- 
tion. He  superintends  the  work  on  the  new  school 
house  in  our  district,  selects  brick  of  the  best  mate- 
rial, and  does  the  work  so  thoroughly  that  it  still 
bears  witness  to  his  fidelity.  Then  he  builds  a  good 
stone  wall  for  our  burying-ground,  and  pays  his 
heavy  taxes  for  all  these  improvements  without 
grumbling. 

"  April  9,  1833.  'Tis  said  that  I  am  seventy-four 
years  old  this  day,  P.  M.  Thanks  be  to  God  that  he 
hath  spared  me  so  long."  He  has  more  time  now  to 
note  the  weather  audits  changes.  "  We  had  an  early 
spring,  robins,  blue-birds  and  red-winged  blackbirds 
early  in  March.  A  hard  frost  in  June  killed  most  of 
our  corn  to  the  ground  ;  beans  also  ;  "  enjoys  in  No- 
vember the  wonderful  spectacle  of  "  many  shooting 
stars."  Meetings  engross  much  time  and  interest. 
Now  some  famous  Methodist  or  Baptist  elder  gives 
a  rousing  sermon ;  then  they  meet  in  some  private 
dwelling — "a  glorious  meeting  without  preaching, 
many  brethren  speak  and  all  to  the  Bible  truth." 
He  is  in  great  demand  for  funeral  occasions  as  bearer 
or  manager  this  same  Zeph  who  once  danced  all 
night  when  a  mate  lay  dead  in  his  coffin.  But  he  is 
still  Zeph,  now  "  Old  Zeph."  No  one  would  think  of 
calling  him  anything  else,  or  know  him  by  his  family 
name  alone.     He  is  a  noted  "  character  "  now  at  town 


A  life's  record.  201 

meetings  and  all  public  doiug-s,  with  his  quaint  old 
wig  and  many-caped  cloak,  his  reminiscences  and 
weather-saws,  and  his  knack  at  rhyming.  Asked  to 
make  a  rhyme  upon  an  easy-going  neighbor,  more 
fond  of  prayer  meetings  than  work,  he  instantly  re- 
sponds : 

"  There's  Uncle  Ase,  so  full  of  grace 
Sometimes  liis  cup  runs  over  ; 
He'll  lay  and  sleep  and  let  his  sheep 
Eat  up  his  neighbor's  clover." 

Or  he  pictures  "  a  hired  man  "  with  one  snap-shot : 

"  Here's  Joseph  Pace  with  his  long  face 
And  not  so  very  fat : 
He's  poor  to  hoe  and  worse  to  mow, 
And  what  do  you  think  of  that  ?" 

He  has  his  old  mare  killed  and  buried  decently, 
which  was  twenty-seven  j^ears  old  : 

"  She  could  not  live  on  hay 
And  I  would  not  put  her  away." 

"  March  4,  1837.  Martin  Yan  Buren  came  in  presi- 
dent. 5th.  Sixty  years  past  this  day  I  went  for  two 
months  to  drive  a  team  for  the  Continentals,  to  carry 
provision  to  the  army  at  Peepskill ;  staid  fifteen 
months ;  took  team  at  Colchester.  April  1.  Town 
meeting,  chose  George  Nichols  and  Vernon  Stiles 
representatives.     Republicans  of  the  old  stamp  ;  four 


202  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

hundred  voters  in  town.  Some  went  not  from  this 
hill  but  enough  without  them."  Trainings  have  lost 
attraction  to  him,  perhaps  because  the  trainings 
themselves  are  not  what  they  used  to  be,  but  he 
takes  little  Nap  to  the  Centre  to  see  a  caravan  with 
two  lions  and  ninety-five  horses. 

Zeph  works  hard  as  ever,  but  there  is  a  screw  loose 
somewhere,  and  the  farm  yields  less  profit.  No  more 
carting  surplus  produce  to  market.  No  potash 
making  and  mill-working,  and  factory-cloth  weaving 
under  present  administration.  All  the  crops  are 
lighter,  and  there  is  hardly  hay  enough  for  the  cattle. 
The  old  man  groans  over  this  thriftlessness  and  "  a 
prevailing  evil "  at  the  root. 

"  April  9,  1839.  Eighty  years  old  this  day  &  I  am 
poorly.  A  failing  year  in  health  and  results  of  labor. 
A  severe  winter,  cold  and  stormy,  no  church  going, 
look  after  pigs  and  chickens  and  read  good  books. 
Great  excitement  in  town  this  spring  of  1840.  Fifty 
new  voters  made " — 737  votes  cast.  They  say  old 
Democrats  are  ahead ;  but  they  cannot  check  the 
Tippecanoe  craze  and  Harrison's  election.  Another 
losing  season  is  reported — "  short  in  corn,  rye,  hay,, 
and  so  it  goes." 

Another  cold  winter  keeps  our  friend  at  home,  sink- 
ing more  and  more  into  the  ordinary  status  of  the 
superannuated,  and  too  often  supernumerary,  grand- 
father.     The  gay  young  fellow  whistling  over  the 


A  life's  record.  20^ 

hills ;  tlie  busy  man  of  affairs  driving  about  town 
is  gone,  and  we  see  a  shriveled  old  man  crawling 
about  the  premises  to  feed  the  chickens,  and  poring 
over  Baxter's  Saints'  Rest  and  his  Bible  by  the  fire- 
side. Friends  of  his  youth,  and  companions  of  his 
life  have  vanished.  Public  and  even  church  affairs 
no  longer  claim  his  attention.  The  great  political 
overthrow,  the  opening  railroad,  excite  but  a  lan- 
guid interest ;  but  the  journal  begun  in  his  youth ^ 
the  daily  chronicle  of  life  and  weather,  still  remains 
to  him.  Each  morning,  foul  or  fair,  he  hurries  out 
to  breathe  the  pure  air  of  Heaven,  survey  the  sky, 
note  the  direction  of  the  wind.  His  dulled  ear 
catches  the  first  song  of  the  spring  birds ;  his  dimmed 
eyes  mark  the  springing  grass,  the  swelling  buds. 
Two  books  are  open  to  his  fading  vision — eternal 
works  and  words,  to  which  some  mortal  eyes  are  ever 
closed.  The  great  comet  of  1843,  stretching  half 
way  across  the  visible  heavens,  thrills  his  old  heart  — 
"  but  I  go  not  to  town  meeting,  nor  to  other  meet- 
ings ;  have  not  strength  for  it." 

The  journal  is  getting  mixed.  The  dates  are  jum- 
bled up ;  we  have  turned  the  last  leaf.  "  June  20, 
1843.  I  find  that  I  am  failing  ;  feel  very  slim."  Still 
the  entries  are  kept  up,  but  the  lines  run  together. 
The  summer  sun  is  shining  in  full  strength  ;  the  corn 
is  hoed  and  the  grass  is  ready  for  mowing,  fully  ripe. 
The  boys  carry  on  the  work — but  old  Zeph  is  "  so 


204  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

tired."  July  26,  he  makes  the  last  entry.  A  few 
more  days  and  nights  of  weariness  and  watching- 
and  eternal  rest  is  his.  Good-bye,  old  Zeph.  For 
more  than  three-score  years  we  have  traveled  with 
yon  on  your  pilgrimage.  Truly  in  thy  case,  "  the 
end  was  better  than  the  beginning."  "Average 
Connecticut  citizen"  did  we  say?  Faithful  old  soul ; 
true  to  yourself,  your  country,  and  your  God,  well 
will  it  be  with  each  if  our  record  marks  as  high  a 
figure. 


YII. 

DODGE,  THE  BABBLER. 

In  the  closing-  years  of  the  last  century  Pomf ret 
held  a  high  place  among  Windham  County  towns. 
Less  in  extent  and  population  than  most  of  its  towns 
it  exceeded  them  in  proportionate  wealth  and  influ- 
ence. It  held  the  Probate  office  for  the  north  part 
of  the  county.  Its  post-office,  administered  by  Judge 
Lemuel  Grosvenor,  accommodated  all  the  neighbor- 
ing towns.  Its  leading  citizens  were  remarkable  for 
sound  judgment  and  intelligence.  Perhaps  that 
United  English  Library,  established  as  far  back  as 
1739,  had  something  to  do  with  forming  the  character 
of  these  men,  and  inciting  young  men  to  obtain  the 
privilege  of  college  education.  The  town  had  also 
been  favored  with  a  succession  of  distinguished 
physicians.  Doctors  Lord  and  Warner,  of  Abington,. 
Dr.  Waldo,  of  the  Street,  were  noted  in  their  pro- 
fession, and  Doctors  Hall  and  Hubbard  quite  equalled 
them  in  reputation  and  extended  practice. 

But  perhaps  there  Avas  nothing  in  which  Pomfret 
took  greater  pride  than  in  her  meeting-house  and 
ministers.  This  house  of  worship  was  the  largest 
and  most  pretentious  in  AVindham  County,  and  ex- 


206  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

€ited  the  envious  admiration  of  other  towns.  Her 
first  minister,  Kev.  Ebenezer  Williams,  was  considered 
one  of  the  leading  ministers  of  his  day,  receiving-  by 
bequest  of  Gov.  Dudley,  of  Massachusetts,  a  me- 
morial ring  in  token  of  esteem  and  favor.  An  incip- 
ient wrangle  at  the  time  of  building  the  great  meet- 
ing-house was  promptly  healed  by  the  suggestion 
that  lack  of  harmony  might  hinder  them  in  settling 
a  minister,  so  that  instead  of  having  as  they  had  done 
the  best  of  orthodox  preaching,  they  might  be  com- 
pelled to  take  up  with  "New  Light  stuff,"  or  some 
inferior  article.  As  successor  of  Mr.  Williams  they 
agreed  upon  Aaron  Putnam,  a  young  graduate  of 
Harvard,  who  filled  the  place  for  many  years  to  public 
acceptance,  a  man  of  learning  and  piety ;  a  sound  if 
not  eloquent  preacher. 

Mr.  Putnam's  unhappy  failure  of  voice  in  the  latter 
part  of  his  ministry  brought  in  a  new  element.  A  col- 
league pastor  was  found  needful,  and  again  Harvard 
furnished  the  candidate — Mr.  Oliver  Dodge.  The 
lively  and  agreeable  manners  of  this  young  gentle- 
man, and  the  freshness  and  animation  of  his  dis- 
courses, won  universal  favor,  and  he  soon  received  a 
unanimous  call  to  the  colleague  pastorate,  one  person 
only  advising  delay.  But  before  the  time  fixed  for 
ordination,  uneasiness  had  arisen.  The  spirits  of  the 
young  minister  carried  him  beyond  the  ordinary 
bounds  of  ministerial  propriety,  and  unfavorable  re- 


DODGE,   THE    BABBLER.  207 

ports  came  from  abroad,  so  that  the  ordaining  council 
was  confronted  by  a  small  number  of  "  aggrieved 
brethren,"  objecting  to  the  ordination  of  the  candi- 
date on  charges  of  "disregard  of  truth,  neglect  of 
^uty,  irreverent  application  of  Scripture  and  un- 
becoming levity."  Decision  was  referred  to  a  special 
council  of  ministers  and  delegates — nine  to  be  chosen 
by  friends  of  Mr.  Dodge,  four  by  the  opposition — 
which  met  in  Pomfret,  September  4,  1792.  Four 
days  were  spent  in  considering  the  situation.  The 
engaging  manners  of  Mr.  Dodge,  and  the  large  ma- 
jority in  his  favor,  pleaded  strongly  in  his  behalf  ;  yet, 
as  the  good  repute  of  a  minister  was  a  matter  of  such 
supreme  importance,  the  council  unanimously  decided 
not  to  proceed  to  ordination.  With  paternal  kind- 
ness they  besought  the  young  minister  to  accept  this 
result  in  its  true  tenor,  and  endeavor  in  future  to 
maintain  that  Christian  spirit  and  live  that  exemplary 
life  "  that  all  the  excellent  and  amiable  talents  and 
accomplishments  with  which  God  had  been  pleased 
to  favor  him,  might  be  improved  for  eminent  and 
most  important  purposes."  Mr.  Dodge  demeaned 
himself  through  these  trials  with  the  utmost  pro- 
priety, accepted  the  reproofs  with  due  meekness,  re- 
flecting upon  himself  in  several  alleged  instances 
except  that  of  falsehood  of  which  he  had  never  been 
•consciously  guilty. 

Uninfluenced  by  this  decision,  the  friends  of    Mr. 


208  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

Dodg-e  proceeded  to  renew  their  call  in  a  regular 
society  meeting-,  and  requested  the  church  to  concur 
in  this  invitation.  Very  great  interest  had  now  been 
aroused,  and  it  was  evident  that  a  large  majority  of 
the  church  would  vote  in  favor  of  settling  Mr.  Dodge. 
To  Mr.  Putnam  and  the  aggrieved  brethren  this 
seemed  a  very  injudicious  and  hazardous  experiment. 
There  was  one  way  by  which  this  evil  could  be  averted 
— the  power  allowed  to  ministers  in  Saybrook  Plat- 
form, by  which  their  single  vote  nullified  the  unani- 
mous vote  of  the  church  over  which  they  were  set- 
tled. Believing  that  Mr.  Dodge  was  unfit  for  the 
ministerial  office,  with  a  deep  sense  of  his  personal 
and  official  responsibility  in  the  matter,  Mr.  Putnam 
now  exercised  this  supreme  power  and  dissolved  the 
meeting  without  permitting  a  vote  upon  the  question. 
So  completely  had  a  century  of  Saybrook  Platform 
administration  eliminated  from  its  adherents  the 
spirit  of  original  Congregationalism  and  recognition 
of  the  rights  of  individual  church  members,  that  this 
act  of  Mr.  Putnam's  was  fully  sustained  by  brother 
ministers.  According  to  Windham  County  Associa- 
tion, the  result  would  have  been  the  same  "  had  he 
allowed  the  church  to  vote,  as  he  would  then  have 
left  the  meeting  and  rendered  them  incapable  of 
further  action."  That  a  large  majority  of  the  church 
had  any  rights  in  the  matter  never  seemed  to  occur 
to  them.     "A  few  more  than  half  makes  no  differ- 


DODGE,  THE    BABBLER.  209 

ence,"  said  President  Clap,  of  Yale.  The  rig-lits  of 
majorities  had  not  then  been  admitted. 

But  there  was  another  side  to  the  question.  Op- 
position to  the  Saybrook  Platform,  initiated  by  the 
unfortunate  Separates  half  a  century  before,  had* 
now  been  strengthened  by  more  orderly  bodies  of 
Christians.  Baptists,  Episcopalians,  the  newly-ar- 
rived Methodists,  were  equally  averse  to  accepting 
one  religious  denomination  as  the  established  church, 
the  "  Standing  Order  "  of  Connecticut.  Free-think- 
ers of  every  shade  were  bitter  against  it.  The  spirit 
of  free  inquiry  was  in  the  air.  Public  men  who  had 
been  active  in  the  attainment  of  civil  liberty  were 
realizing  that  religious  restrictions  were  inconsistent 
with  a  Republican  form  of  Government.  Foremost 
among  the  opposers  of  the  ecclesiastic  establishment 
of  Connecticut  was  Zephaniah  Swift,  of  Windham, 
the  able  lawyer  and  jurist.  His  attitude  on  this 
point  had  given  great  offence  to  the  ministers  of  the 
county  who  had  upon  this  ground,  opposed  his  elec- 
tion to  Congress.  Some  of  these  ministers  had  as- 
sisted in  the  rejection  of  Mr.  Dodge,  and  thus  afforded 
Judge  Swift  ample  ground  of  retaliation. 

As  soon  as  the  result  of  the  Pomfret  council  was 
given  to  the  public.  Judge  Swift  took  the  field  as 
champion  of  Mr.  Dodge.  The  whole  affair  was  "  an 
open  attack  upon  religious  liberty  and  the  rights  of 
conscience."     The  power  arrogated  by  the  council  was 

18 


210  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

"  more  unwarrantable  and  dangerous  than  that  exer- 
cised by  the  pretended  successors  of  St.  Peter."  The 
act  of  Mr.  Putnam  "in  nullifying*  the  voice  of  the 
church  by  his  single  voice,  his  sovereign  negative,  was 
a  most  conspicuous  instance  of  the  arbitrary  power 
vested  in  ministers  by  that  celebrated  code  of  eccle- 
siastic jurisprudence,  known  by  the  singular  appella- 
tion of  Saybrook  Platform."  "  Is  the  exercise  of  such 
a  power  compatible  with  the  equal  rights,  the  unalien- 
able birthright  of  man  ?  Reason,  common  sense 
and  the  Bible  with  united  voice  proclaim  .... 
that  the  Constitution  which  delegates  to  one  the 
power  to  negative  the  vote  of  all  the  rest,  is  subver- 
sive OF  THE  NATURAL  RIGHTS  OF  MANKIND,  AND  REPUG- 
NANT TO  THE  WORD  OF  GoD."  Dodge  himself  was  the 
innocent  victim  of  clerical  revenge  and  malice;  a 
young  man  of  superior  genius  and  merit ;  a  second 
Luther,  battling  against  ecclesiastic  despotism." 

Pomfret  scarcely  needed  this  outside  stimulus  to 
self-assertion.  Her  sympathy,  i^ride,  and  will  were 
all  enlisted  in  behalf  of  the  young  minister.  The 
result  led  to  immediate  and  great  departure.  A 
large  majority  of  members  of  the  church  withdrew 
from  connection,  and  proceeded  to  organize  as  "  The 
Reformed  Christian  Church  and  Congregation  of 
Pomfret."  A  satisfactory  covenant  was  drawn  up 
and  adopted,  and  public  worship  instituted  in  pri- 
vate mansions.     Mr.  Dodge,  stimulated  by  contro- 


DODGE,  THE    BABBLER.  211 

yersy  and  popular  favor,  was  more  eloquent  and  fas- 
cinating" than  ever.  Crowds  flocked  to  the  new  place 
of  worship,  while  the  great  meeting-house  was  al- 
most deserted.  Eleven  male  members,  with  their 
families  and  minister,  was  all  that  was  left  of  the 
large  church  membership.  The  County  Consocia- 
tion, called  to  consider  and  advise,  could  do  nothing. 
The  church  had  taken  itself  out  of  their  jurisdiction 
and  Mr.  Dodge  scouted  its  summons  to  appear,  and 
declared  himself  "  no  more  amenable  to  their  con- 
trol and  jurisdiction  than  he  was  to  the  Bishop  of 
London." 

Eemoved  from  all  restriction,  Mr.  Dodge  now  came 
out  more  openly  as  the  apostle  of  a  new  dispensa- 
tion. It  was  a  time  of  great  upheaval  and  discus- 
sion. Eevolutions  in  Government  and  thought  were 
in  progress.  "  The  reign  of  long  faces  had  passed  ; 
ministers  were  now  to  act  and  talk  like  other  men, 
and  unite  with  them  in  mirth,  festivitj^,  and  amuse- 
ment. Puritan  blueness  and  austerity  were  to  give 
place  to  good  fellowship  and  universal  jollity.  God 
was  best  served  by  merry  hearts  and  cheerful  voices." 
All  knotty  points  of  doctrine  were  to  be  ignored  ;  the 
Scriptures  a  sufficient  rule  of  faith  and  practice  ac- 
cording to  each  man's  personal  interpretation.  In 
the  revolt  from  stiffened  orthodoxy,  these  views  and 
practices  as  set  forth  by  an  engaging  and  eloquent 
speaker  were  most  attractive.      Dodge  was  the  hero 


212  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

of  the  day  ;  the  popular  minister.     Numbers  united 
with  his  church  ;  people  from  all  the  surrounding 
towns  flocked  to  hear  him.     The  friends  of  free  re- 
ligion could  not  have  selected  a  more  eligible  leader 
than  this  clever  and  accomplished  young  man,  who 
could  charm  all  hearts  with  religious  rhapsodies,  and 
dance,  drink,  and  joke  with  equal  acceptance.     That 
it  was  difficult  to  find  ministers  of  any  standing  to 
assist  in  his  ordination  added  zest  to  the  situation,  as 
did  the  wordy  battle  in  the  columns  of  "The  Wind- 
ham Herald  "  between  Judge  Swift  and  sundry  min- 
isters who  rushed  to  the  defence  of  Mr.  Putnam  and 
the  council.      Nothing  in  modern  times  equals  the 
bitterness  of   this  newspaper  controversy,  and  the 
vituperations  exchanged   between   the   combatants. 
All  the  sayings  and  doings  of  Mr.  Dodge  and  his  op- 
ponents were  paraded  before  the  public,  and  peaceful, 
dignified  Pomfret  figured  as  the  scene  of  this  scandal 
and  division.     Neighboring  towns  were  drawn  into 
the  strife.     Mr.  Dodge,  by  invitation  of  one  of  the 
society  committee,  preached  an  afternoon  lecture  in 
Woodstock  meeting-house.     The  minister,  Eev.  Mr. 
Lyman,  having  previously  manifested  his  disapproval 
went  into  the  house  during  service  and  read  a  public 
remonstrance.     AVhereupon  the  friends  of  Mr.  Dodge 
served  a  warrant  upon  Mr.  Lyman  for  disturbing  a 
religious  assembly,  and  compelled  him  to  pay  as  high 
a  fine  as  the  law  would  allow.     In  Pomfret  the  par- 


DODGE,   THE    BABBLER.  213 

tisan  feeling  became  very  strong  and  bitter.  It  en- 
tered into  politics  ;  it  divided  families.  The  very- 
children  in  the  street  jeered  and  mocked  at  each 
other  as  "Dodge-ites  "  and  "  Anti-Dodge-ites."  An 
opposer  of  the  popular  favorite  lost  his  place  as  town 
clerk,  leaving  this  farewell  upon  Pomfret  records : 

"Here  ends  the  services  of  a  faithful  servant  of  the  public, 
who  was  neglected  for  no  other  reason  than  because  he  could  not 
Bodge  = " 

For  more  than  six  years  this  rupture  and  strife 
continued,  and  Mr.  Dodge  maintained  his  prestige 
and  popularity.  It  does  not  appear  that  during  this 
period  he  lost  ground  or  adherents.  His  "  finely- 
polished  golden  chain  of  equality  and  brotherly 
love  "  satisfied  his  congregation  ;  his  good  fellowship 
and  easy  insolence  kept  his  hold  in  society.  His  oc- 
casional excesses  and  increasing  levity  were  excused 
as  the  exuberant  overflow  of  spirits,  and  by  his  frank 
admission  of  wrong.  Nothing  but  his  own  suicidal 
act  could  have  lost  him  his  place  in  heart  and  favor. 
He  held  himself  in  restraint  as  long  as  it  was  possi- 
ble and  then  gave  way  at  once  and  forever.  Every- 
thing was  sacrificed  for  liberty  in  vicious  indulgence. 
After  a  week  of  revelry,  driving  from  one  low  tavern 
to  another,  and  even  offering  blasphemous  prayers  in 
a  blacksmith's  shop  upon  a  challenge,  he  had  the  ef- 
frontery to  enter  his  pulpit  and  attempt  to  conduct 


214  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

the  usual  Sabbath  service.  Eising  to  speak  he  fell 
upon  the  pulpit  overcome  with  drunken  sickness,  fall- 
ing forever  from  his  high  estate.  Apparently  no  at- 
tempt was  made  to  excuse  or  palliate  his  conduct. 
Of  his  large  following  not  one  was  left  him,  because 
he  was  too  far  gone  to  make  the  effort  to  retain  them. 
At  a  meeting  of  The  Keformed  Church  of  Pomfret, 
July  4,  1799,  upon  complaint  that  Mr.  Dodge  had 
been  guilty  of  repeated  instances  of  intemperance  in 
the  use  of  spirituous  liquor,  and  of  indecent  if  not 
profane  language,  it  was  voted  that  he  "  be  excluded 
from  the  rites  and  privileges  of  this  church  till  by  his 
reformation  and  amendment  of  life  he  shall  be  again 
restored  to  charity."  But  this  charity  was  not  called 
into  exercise.  The  "  lost  leader  "  gave  himself  up  to 
reckless  dissipation.  Seldom  does  one  who  has  filled 
so  high  a  position,  with  so  large  a  following,  sink 
into  such  sudden  obscurity  and  oblivion.  The  Ke- 
formed Church  vanished  with  its  founder,  its  mem- 
bers gladly  returning  to  the  old  church  that  welcomed 
them  into  the  fold.  The  name  that  had  been  so  con- 
spicuous dropped  from  the  records  and  "  Herald,"  and 
he  himself  sunk  out  of  sight  and  knowledge,  only  as 
tradition  whispered  tales  of  "  Pomfret's  drunken  min- 
ister." 

But  there  is  a  sequel  to  the  story.  Last  spring  the 
Probate  judge  of  Windham  at  Willimantic  chanced 
to   light   upon  a  somewhat  curious   old   document, 


DODGE,  THE    BABBLER.  215 

apparently  an  affidavit  laid  against  a  notorious  of- 
fender, denominated  "Dodge,  the  Babbler" — under 
date  of  1805.     The  paper  best  tells  its  own  story  : 

"Dodge,  the  Babbler,  in  an  harangue  at  Glastonbury,  on  the 
8th  of  August,  1805,  after  declaiming  upon  church  &  state  & 
law  and  religion — exclaimed — 

'  God  knows,  angels  know,  saints  know,  all  honest  men  know, 
the  Devils  know,  and  none  but  knaves  and  fools  but  what  do 
know,  there  ought  not  to  be  any  laws  for  the  support  of  religion. 
We  should  not  then  see  the  poor  man  dragged  to  jail  to  pay  a 
minister's  tax,  while  his  family  were  left  starving  :  we  should 
not  then  have  to  pay  four  or  five  hundred  dollars  a  year  for 
ministers'  dinners  at  Hartford  :  we  should  not  then  see  ministers 
have  the  privilege  of  turnpiking  the  road  to  Heaven  and  erect" 
ing  gates  and  collecting  tolls  upon  them.' 

He  also  used  this  expression  : 

'  Minister's  salaries  are  a  stink  in  God's  nose,  and  a  stench  in 
his  nostrils.' 

The  above  expressions  were  heard  by  Mr.  George  Gilbert,  of 
Hebron,  and  noted  down  at  the  time  and  in  the  meeting-house.'' 

And  so  we  see  our  brilliant  young  minister,  who 
had  stood  so  high  in  position  and  favor,  who  had  been 
championed  by  Judge  Swift  and  other  distinguished 
advocates,  wandering  about  the  State  as  a  mere 
"  babbler  "  and  driveler,  undoubtedly  injuring  by  in- 
temperance and  indecency  the  very  cause  of  religious 
liberty  that  he  was  trying  to  advance — his  abilities 
and  opportunities  wasted  ;  his  life  a  wreck  and  beacon- 
warning.  He  is  believed  to  have  died  in  1806 — the 
year  following  this  parting  glimpse. 


YIII. 
OUE  FIEST  WOMAN   AKTIST. 

First  in  Connecticut,  and  in  point  of  time  one  of 
the  first  women  in  this  country,  to  gain  public  recog- 
nition as  an  artist,  was  Miss  Anne  Hall,  of  Pomfret 
and  New  York.  She  was  only  preceded  and  equaled 
as  far  as  we  can  ascertain  by  Misses  Anna  C.  and 
Sarah  M.  Peale,  granddaughters  of  the  distinguished 
artist,  Charles  Wilson  Peale.  There  may  have  been 
local  women  artists  in  some  of  our  large  towns,  but 
none  that  gained  more  than  a  provincial  reputation, 
or  were  honored  like  Miss  Hall  by  election  to  mem- 
bership in  The  National  Academy  of  Design. 

Miss  Anne  Hall  was  no  untrained  phenomenon. 
Like  the  Peale  sisters  she  inherited  artistic  tenden- 
cies. Her  father,  Dr.  Jonathan  Hall,  of  Pomfret,  and 
his  father,  had  been  lovers  of  art,  and,  unable  to 
gratify  their  own  aspirations,  Avere  eager  to  foster 
their  manifestation  in  little  Anne.  Figures  cut  from 
paper  or  moulded  in  wax  at  a  very  early  age  showed 
great  merit.  A  box  of  paints  from  China  enabled  her 
to  gratify  her  love  for  coloring  and  reproduce  birds, 
flowers,  fruit,  and  whatever  caught  her  childish  fancy. 

When  a  very  young  girl  she  accompanied  an  elder 


OUR    FIRST   WOMAN   ARTIST.  217 

sister  to  Newport,  the  home  of  the  Mumfords,  her 
mother's  family.  Here  she  was  permitted  to  take  a 
few  lessons  in  oil  painting  and  drawing  from  Mr. 
Samuel  King,  the  teacher  of  Malbone  and  Washing- 
ton Allston.  Mr.  King  also  instructed  her  in  the  art 
of  applying  color  to  ivory.  Returning  to  her  Pom- 
fret  home  she  practiced  diligently  in  these  various 
lines,  and  had  the  privilege  of  further  instruction  in 
New  York  city  under  the  skillful  teaching  of  Alex- 
ander Robinson,  secretary  of  the  Academy  of  Fine 
Arts.  With  such  opportunities  for  cultivating  native 
genius  it  is  no  wonder  that  Miss  Hall  achieved  so 
high  a  rank  among  the  artists  of  her  time.  Her  first 
success  was  in  copying  from  the  old  masters.  Like 
Hawthorne's  Hilda  she  possessed  that  sympathetic 
insight  which  enabled  her  to  catch  and  reproduce  the 
very  soul  of  the  original.  Her  brother,  Charles  H. 
Hall,  of  New  York,  supplied  her  with  good  pictures 
to  copy.  Copies  of  Guido's  pictures  were  executed 
with  a  force  and  glow  of  coloring  that  won  praise 
from  experienced  critics. 

In  character  and  person  Miss  Hall  was  exceptionally 
lovely — a  bright  and  shining  light  in  that  cultured 
society  which  distinguished  Pomfret  in  the  early  part 
of  the  century.  A  foreign  visitor  at  one  of  her  fash- 
ionable assemblies  gave  verdict—"  That  Miss  Hall's 
dress  and  demeanor  would  have  done  credit  to  any 
<3ourt  in  Europe."     She  had  the  literary  accomplish- 


218  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

ments  of  her  time,  some  of  her  poems  long  living  in 
remembrance.  But  above  all  she  shone  in  beauty  of 
character — "  her  life  a  lofty  striving  after  the  highest 
ideal,  which  she  exemplified  in  every  act  and  word." 
Her  ready  kindness  and  sympathj^,  her  willingness 
to  devote  her  artistic  skill  to  memorials  of  departed 
friends,  was  very  noteworthy.  Cherub  faces  of  chil- 
dren long  passed  from  earth  are  still  held  as  priceless 
treasures  in  many  households. 

But  it  Avas  not  till  after  her  permanent  removal  to 
New  York  city,  about  1820,  that  Miss  Hall's  fame  be- 
came fully  established,  especially  in  her  chosen  line 
of  miniature  painting  on  ivory.  Dunlap  characterized 
her  work  as  of  the  first  order,  combining  exquisite 
ideality  of  design  with  beauty  of  coloring.  He  notes 
especially  her  groups  of  children,  "  com^DOsed  with 
the  taste  and  skill  of  a  master,  and  the  delicacy  which 
the  female  character  can  infuse  into  the  works  of 
beauty  beyond  the  reach  of  man."  Some  of  these 
groups  received  the  rare  compliment  of  being  sent 
abroad  to  be  copied  in  enamel,  and  thus  made  inde- 
structible. Miss  Hall  excelled  in  rich  coloring,  and 
in  those  finishing  touches  that  add  so  much  charm — 
flowers  in  the  hands  of  her  women,  wreaths  twined 
about  her  cherub  children,  were  marvels  of  grace  and 
beauty.  Among  many  distinguished  subjects,  she 
had  the  honor  of  painting  one  of  the  especial  celeb- 
rities of  the  time — Garafilia  Mohalbi.      This  lovely 


OUR   FIRST   WOMAN    ARTIST.  219 

Greek  girl  was  taken  ca^Dtive  during  the  war  with  the 
Turks,  and  ransomed  in  1827  by  a  Boston  merchant 
and  brought  to  this  country.  It  was  this  picture  ex- 
hibited at  the  National  Academy  that  brought  Miss 
Hall  her  election  to  membership,  and  the  engraved 
copy  was  widely  known  and  admired.  As  market 
value  in  our  practical  days  is  often  made  a  test  of  ar- 
tistic merit,  it  may  be  noted  that  some  of  Miss  Hall's 
groups  were  appraised  at  ^ye  hundred  dollars,  which 
was  considered  an  extraordinary  price  for  a  native 
artist  to  receive. 

Unaffected  in  character  by  her  distinguished  suc- 
cess, Miss  Hall  remained  modest  and  retiring,  never 
seeking  praise  or  notoriety.  Struggling  artists  from 
her  native  country  gained  ready  access  to  her  studio, 
and  found  her  ready  with  sympathy  and  counsel. 
Our  late  artist,  Mr.  Sawyer,  spoke  of  her  with  enthu- 
siastic admiration,  as  one  far  in  advance  of  the  ordi- 
nary range  of  womanly  attainment.  She  died  at  the 
home  of  her  sister,  Mrs.  Henry  Ward,  New  York,  in 
1863,  having  just  passed  her  seventieth  year.  In  the 
marvelous  development  of  modern  art,  especially 
among  women,  this  first  woman  artist  in  our  State 
should  not  be  overlooked,  and  it  is  hoped  that  a  fit- 
ting memorial  may  sometime  be  prepared,  with  re- 
productions of  those  faces  and  groups  which  won 
such  fame  and  favor. 


IX. 


JAPHETH  IN  SEAKCH  OF  HIS  FOEE- 
FATHEKS. 

It  is  not  so  many  years  since  the  great  majority  of 
New  England  families  outside  of  Boston  were  content 
to  trace  a  vagne  descent  from  one  of  "  three  brothers," 
who  might  have  come  out  of  the  Ark,  or  the  May- 
flower, and  then  a  genealogical  boom  swept  through 
the  land,  flooding  it  with  family  trees,  charts,  tablets, 
genealogies,  and  histories.  Various  genealogic  bu- 
reaus conducted  by  ]3rofessional  experts  aid  in  the 
prosecution  of  such  researches,  and  testify  to  the 
wide  extent  of  the  newly- awakened  interest.  With 
such  intelligent  and  sympathetic  aid  the  inquirer  can 
hardly  fail  to  exhume  some  eligible  Pilgrim  or  Puritan 
of  approximate  family  name — a  vigorous  and  fruit- 
ful root  from  which  he  might  safely  predicate  a 
goodly  family  tree.  But  as  he  attempts  to  establish 
connection  between  his  own  particular  branch  and 
this  primitive  root,  and  trace  out  the  various  ramifi- 
cations, difficulties  multiply.  If  some  eight  or  ten 
branches  shoot  off  into  as  many  States,  or,  still  worse, 
if  the  off-shoots  of  two  or  three  kindred  roots  com- 


JAPHETH  IN  SEARCH  OF  HIS  FOREFATHERS.  221 

mingle  in  one  town,  he  will  soon  be  involved  in  inex- 
tricable jangle  and  confusion.  Or  if  he  be  so  fortu- 
nate as  to  trace  his  own  lineage  straight  back  to 
some  ancient  patriarch,  there  w411  be  other  branches 
missing,  boughs  lopped  ojff,  mysterious  growths  en- 
grafted. The  genealogist  is  sure  to  be  confronted 
sooner  or  later  with  some  obdurate  sphinx  of  a  prob- 
lem, whose  solution  defies  his  utmost  effort.  The 
perplexities  of  Captain  Marryat's  hero  in  search  of 
his  lost  father  were  light  in  comparison  with  those 
of  our  genealogical  Japheths,  searching  through  this 
great  continent  for  their  buried  grandfathers  and 
grandmothers.  The  friendly  bureaus  above  referred 
to  often  fail  in  such  emergencies.  They  can  furnish 
upon  demand  any  number  of  reputable  forefathers. 
It  is  for  you  to  prove  whether  some  particular  speci- 
men belongs  to  yourself,  or  to  descendants  of  the 
other  "two  brothers."  Left  to  himself  the  baffled 
Japheth  pursues  his  weary  search — exploring  town 
and  church  records,  unearthing  family  registers  and 
letters,  deciphering  effaced  epitaphs,  afflicting  the 
souls  of  far-off  relatives  by  frantic  efforts  to  make 
them  bring  to  mind  what  they  never  knew  or  had 
long  forgotten.  Earnest  appeals  from  some  of  these 
persistent  searchers  enlisted  me  in  genealogical  re- 
search. A  dabbler  in  local  history,  it  was  easy  for 
me  to  find  and  impart  desired  information.  The  ex- 
uberant  and    altogether  disproportionate  gratitude 


222  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

called  out  by  very  trifling  service  in  this  line  awoke 
deep  commiseration : 

"  I've  heard  of  hearts  unkind,  kinds  deeds 
With  coldness  still  returning  ; 
Alas  !  the  gratitude  of  men 
Hath  oftener  left  me  mourning." 

How  many  snubs  must  have  been  endured  to  make 
a  little  common  courtesy  so  thank-worthy.  Having 
had  occasion  to  solicit  similar  favors  from  strangers, 
I  answered  every  such  appeal  just  as  I  liked  my  own 
answ^ered,  and  in  following  this  golden  rule  worked 
out  a  large  experience  which  I  would  fain  impart  to 
other  wayworn  Japheths  still  groping  for  lost  grand- 
sires. 

And,  first,  I  would  iDremise  for  your  comfort  and 
encouragement,  that  the  object  of  your  search  is  in 
all  probability  attainable.  Those  exasperating  old 
ancestors  and  relatives,  so  persistently  evading  inqui- 
sition, did  in  very  truth  live  and  walk  upon  this  earth 
and  doubtless  left  behind  them  some  memorial  of 
their  own  birth  and  marriage,  and  those  of  their  pu- 
tative offspring.  Your  "  missing  link  "  lurks  in  some 
furtive  corner.  That  "  pivotal  fact "  on  which  depends 
your  connection  with  the  parent  trunk,  or  the  com- 
pleteness and  symmetry  of  the  whole  structure,  is 
safely  hoarded  by  some  obscure  collateral,  all  uncon- 
scious  of  the   value  of  the  latent  treasure.     In  my 


JAPHETH  IN  SEARCH  OF  HIS  FOREFATHERS.  223 

own  experience  the  particular  item  establishing  the 
foundation  fact  of  numerous  investigations  accrued 
through  the  agency  of  a  single  individual,  it  might 
almost  seem  providentially  preserved  to  meet  the 
foreordained  recipient  of  his  fateful  message. 

Such  was  the  Staytum  case,  involving  a  question 
of  locality.  Descendants  of  the  patriarch  Samson 
insisted  that  he  settled  at  an  early  date  on  "  the  mile 
square  "  east  of  the  river  in  First  Parish,  which  they 
stiU  held  in  possession  ;  but  I  found  him  an  officer  in 
Second  Parish,  occupying  a  farm  between  two  rivers 
bounded  by  lines  which  human  ingenuity  could  not 
have  made  more  crooked.  It  was  perfectly  evident 
that  the  two  farms  could  not  have  been  identical,  and 
that  a  resident  of  First  Parish  w^ould  not  have  been 
a  church  officer  in  the  Second  ;  but  the  Staytums  re- 
fused to  yield  an  ell  of  their  "  mile  square,"  or  budge 
an  inch  from  their  position  in  First  Parish.  A  happy 
chance  opened  communication  with  a  ninety -year-old 
descendant  in  a  neighboring  State,  and  from  him 
came  positive  evidence  that  the  original  Samson  did 
first  buy  and  occupy  an  interval  farm  in  Second  Par- 
ish, and  his  son  Samson  was  the  purchaser  and  first 
occupant  of  the  "  mile  square."  But  if  twenty  sur- 
plus years  had  not  been  granted  to  the  respected 
Hezekiah  my  exhaustive  arguments  would  have  been 
but  vain  words  and  fruitless  Jeremiades.  The  gen- 
eajogist  may  settle  it  in  his  mind  as  a  primal  axiom. 


224  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

that  one  person  and  most  probably  only  one  on  tlie 
face  of  the  earth  can  give  him  definite  information 
upon  any  controverted  point.  One  chance  in  twelve 
or  thirteen  hundred  million !  But  his  inquiries  are 
necessarily  restricted  to  the  Caucasian  race,  and 
finally  narrow  down  to  the  sixty  millions  of  the 
United  States,  and  perhaps  a  few  experts  across  the 
water.  We  might  assume  farther  limitation  by  sec- 
tional probabilities  but  for  the  wide  dispersion  of 
descendants  of  early  Pilgrims.  Information  con- 
cerning descendants  of  old  Massachusetts  and  Con- 
necticut families  would  be  naturally  sought  in  the 
vicinity  of  former  places  of  residence,  but  you  are 
quite  as  likely  to  find  it  west  of  the  Rockies.  Facts 
vainly  sought  in  many  native  sources  strayed  back 
to  me  unsought  from  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  val- 
leys. I  was  long  baffled  in  pursuit  of  a  well-known 
Revolutionary  veteran,  very  prominent  at  Bunker 
Hill  and  in  subsequent  service.  Minute  and  per- 
sistent research  in  his  own  and  neighboring  towns 
failed  to  furnish  any  trace  of  him  after  the  close  of 
the  war,  and  I  finally  numbered  him  among  its  un- 
recorded victims,  buried  like  Moses  in  an  unknown 
sepulchre,  and  then  inadvertently  stumbled  upon  his 
grave  in  the  heart  of  the  Empire  State.  A  chance 
allusion  from  a  casual  correspondent  led  to  the  dis- 
covery of  his  early  emigration  and  subsequent  career. 

[The  preceding  hints,  written  some  years  since,  and 


JAPHETH  IX  SEARCH  OF  HIS  FOREFATHERS.  225 

published  in  substance  in  the  "  New  York  Independ- 
ent," require  some  modification  to  suit  present  con- 
ditions. During-  these  years  interest  in  genealogical 
researches  has  increased  in  geometrical  proportion. 
Especially  since  the  organization  of  the  innumerable 
societies  of  "  Dames,"  "  Daughters,"  and  "  Sons,"  all 
requiring  straight  lines  of  descent,  have  these  inqui- 
ries multiplied,  and  facilities  for  tracing  these  lines 
have  increased  in  proportion.  I  should  now  discrimi- 
nate between  roots  and  Ihiks.  The  former  are  to  be 
sought  near  the  original  settlements  and  landing- 
places.  It  is  the  connecting  links  that  are  often  so 
evasive,  and  may  be  lighted  upon  in  most  unlikely 
places,  and  my  "  one  man  "  theory  should  be  restricted 
to  inquiries  of  this  nature.] 

These  opportune  chances  and  unforeseen  discover- 
ies give  a  peculiar  fascination  to  genealogical  pur- 
suit, rekindling  in  fossil  sires  the  fires  of  youthful 
enthusiasm.  That  which  to  the  uninitiated  is  a  sense- 
less groping  among  dead  men's  bones  involves  the 
tantalizing  delight  of  gold-digging  and  treasure- 
hunting.  Those  thoughtless  youngsters  who  jeer  at 
genealogical  enthusiasts  might  well  envy  the  excite- 
ments and  surprises  of  their  adventurous  quest. 
True,  indeed,  they  are  called  to  suffer  many  trials 
and  disappointments.  Nuggets  are  not  found  every 
day.  Many  a  placer  is  dug  over  without  disclosiog 
one  golden  glimmer.  The  proverbial  "hunting  for 
a  needle  in  a  hay-mow  "  often  typifies  the  experience 


226  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

of  the  g-enealogist ;  yet,  if  the  needle  carry  a  thread 
the  chance  is  not  so  hopeless.  The  slightest  clew 
promptly  followed  ;  the  tiniest  atom  of  real  gold-dust 
may  lead  the  way  to  marvelous  discovery.  A  mere 
shred  of  a  chance  recovered  my  long-sought  Missins. 
A  once  prominent  family,  occupying  a  large  tract  of 
land  on  a  public  thoroughfare,  with  a  flourishing  saw- 
mill, a  tavern,  and  roads  leading  to  various  settle- 
ments— not  only  had  every  vestige  of  them  disap- 
peared, but  the  site  they  had  occupied  could  not  be 
identified.  The  oldest  inhabitant  had  only  heard  of 
them  by  vague  tradition,  and  could  give  no  satisfac- 
tory conjecture  as  to  their  place  of  habitation.  I 
spent  days  puzzling  over  the  map  for  it.  I  set  up 
that  saw-mill  on  every  water  privilege  within  the 
territory,  but  try  it  where  I  would  some  condition 
would  be  lacking ;  mill,  tavern,  highway,  and  by- 
ways could  not  be  made  to  fit  in  with  appropriate 
surroundings.  Chancing  at  length  to  hear  of  an  "  old 
Widow  Missin,"  visiting  in  a  neighboring  town,  I 
hastened  to  call  upon  her.  Like  most  women  she 
knew  nothing  whatever  of  "Mr.  Missins'  "  family  and 
antecedents,  but  referred  me  to  "  Cousin  Nimrod,"  in 
some  out-of-the-way  neighborhood,  as  one  who  might 
possibly  give  me  some  information.  Starting  next 
day  in  pursuit  of  this  mythical  place  and  personage, 
I  drove  some  six  miles  southward  for  farther  instruc- 
tions, and  then  switched  off  into  an  old  road  winding 


JAPHETH  IN  SEARCH  OF  HIS  FOREFATHERS.  22  7 

northeastward  tliroiigli  pastures  of  scrub-oak  and 
huckleberry  bushes,  toward  a  bleak  hill-range. 
Having  a  well  developed  organ  of  what  phrenologists 
call  "  Locality,"  it  was  extremely  harrowing  to  reach 
a  given  point  by  describing  the  two  long  sides  of  a 
very  acute  triangle,  but  when,  after  a  wearisome  pull 
I  reached  the  summit  of  the  hill,  all  minor  annoy- 
ances vanished.  For,  oh,  dear  reader,  I  saw^  it  all  at 
a  glance.  In  this  round-about  style  I  had  solved  my 
problem.  Clear  as  a  mathematical  demonstration  it 
opened  before  me — the  mill-stream  and  tavern-site  in 
the  valley,  the  great  highway  winding  round  the  base 
of  the  hill,  the  old  bridle-path  eastward,  and  the 
"  trod-out  path "  behind  me,  that  had  led  to  this 
happy  outlook.  Left  behind  by  march  of  civilization 
and  change  of  business  centres,  enlocked  bj^  hill  and 
river,  the  lonely  valley  had  evaded  search  till  opened 
by  the  pass-name  of  the  one  man  w^ho  held  the  key 
to  its  mysteries.  The  testimony  of  the  faithful  old 
Nimrod  confirmed  local  intuitions.  A  quaint  old 
hermit,  forgotten  by  the  world,  alone  he  guarded  the 
Missin  records  and  traditions.  In  this  secluded  nook, 
once  populous  and  full  of  life,  his  family  had  lived 
and  flourished  for  more  than  a  hundred  years,  and  he 
alone  could  tell  of  their  past  glories,  of  the  mill  and 
the  great  tavern,  and  seven  gambrel-roofed  houses 
built  for  the  seven  sons  of  the  first  settler,  and  the 
briary  grave-yard  where  name  and  race  were  buried. 


228  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

and   then   sent   me   home   rejoicing-   by  a  cross-cut 
across  the  base  of  my  triangle. 

Equally  slight  was  the  chance  that  restored  to  his 
ahna  mater  a  certain  shadowy  James  H.  Goner,  un- 
heard of  after  his  graduation  early  in  the  present 
century.  I  take  great  pride  in  this  achievement  as 
being  myself  the  medium  for  recovering  the  trail  and 
enstarring  the  lost  graduate  among  his  fellows.  The 
dim  rnijrressioii  of  a  surviving  classmate,  and  a  cas- 
ual entry  in  some  old  class-book  suggested  Mytown 
as  his  probable  birthplace.  Letters  of  inquiry  were 
sent  to  minister,  town  clerk,  postmaster,  &c.,  but  as 
the  family  had  removed  from  town  long  before  the 
remembrance  of  any  of  these  authorities  no  light 
was  gained  from  them.  Catching  at  a  straw,  the  col- 
lege biographer  next  addressed  the  embryo  town 
historian,  who  with  the  rashness  of  inexperience  es- 
sayed the  quest.  "It  is  of  no  use,"  sighed  the  ma- 
ternal counselor  so  helpful  in  previous  inquiries. 
"  I  took  special  note  in  my  young  days  of  every 
young  man  in  town  that  was  privileged  with  going 
to  college,  and  never  was  there  a  Goner  among  them." 
Nevertheless  a  careful  examination  of  the  faded 
church  records  detected  a  James  Horner  Goner  bap- 
tized just  in  time  for  college  entrance  at  the  speci- 
fied date.  James  H  !  First  middle  name  on  church 
record!  That  tvjo  Goner  families  should  have  in- 
dulged in  such   extravagance  when  double   names 


JAPHETH  IN  SEARCH  OF  HIS  FOREFATHERS.  229 

were  so  uncommon  was  extremely  doubtful,  but  ad- 
mitting" that  the  vanished  collegiate  was  represented 
in  this  record  what  chance  was  there  of  unraveling- 
his  subsequent  career,  as  his  family  migrated  west- 
ward early  in  his  college  course  and  had  long  passed 
out  of  knowledge.  Well,  it  did  look  very  dark  for  a 
time,  but  gradually  in  the  maternal  consciousness 
faint  echoes  were  awakened  of  long-gone  talk  about 
a  "  Goner  wood-lot  "  left  behind  unsold  till  after  the 
death  of  the  family  head,  when  it  was  bought  up  by 
"your  Uncle  Abishai,"  who  had  no  end  of  trouble 
hunting  up  the  scattered  heirs  before  he  could  se- 
cure a  clear  title.  Uncle  Abishai's  papers  and  the 
probate  records  furnished  the  missing  link  and  evi- 
dence, enabling  us  to  trace  the  fugitive  to  West  Ten- 
nessee, where  he  kept  school,  practiced  law,  married 
and  died,  leaving  a  widow  and  several  children  to 
receive  his  share  of  the  Goner  wood-lot. 

[Another  problem  relating  to  this  same  Goner  fam- 
ily has  but  recently  attained  solution.  A  somewhat 
indefinite  marriage  record  represented  the  head  of  a 
large  and  respectable  family  as  marrying  "  Susanna 
Goner  alias  Fuller  " — a  way  of  putting  it  that  was  a 
source  of  great  perplexity  to  the  present  generation 
of  descendants.  Whether  she  was  a  Goner  by  birth 
or  adoption  could  not  be  settled,  and  a  "  goner"  she 
remained  for  many  years.  But  the  increasing  de- 
mand for  Eastern  ancestors  at  length  brought  inqui- 
ries from  the  lonof-o-one  Goners,  and  with  them  the 


230  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

information  that  our  mysterious  Susanna  was  indeed 
a  born  Goner,  aunt  of  the  missing-  college  graduate,  and 
that  she  had  married  for  her  first  husband  a  certain 
Fuller.  And  here  came  another  puzzle.  Chil- 
dren by  the  first  husband  had  also  gone  West  and 
were  in  communication  with  their  Goner  kindred,  but 
not  one  of  the  descendants  knew  the  first  name  of 
their  grandmother's  husband.  The  Fullers  were  a 
noted  family,  straight  from  Plymouth  Rock,  and 
they  were  very  anxious  to  establish  connection.  I  did 
the  best  I  could  for  them,  but  could  find  no  record  of 
Susanna's  first  marriage.  There  were  a  number  of 
Fuller  boys  baptized  just  about  the  date  needed,  but 
which  was  the  happy  man  it  was  imiDossible  to  tell. 
But  chance  at  length  leading  me  to  consult  an  earlier 
probate  record,  there  I  found  the  settlement  of  the 
estate  of  Susanna's  father,  and  among  the  receipts 
recorded  was  one  signed  by  Susanna  and  her  Fuller 
husband— ^V^-^f  name  and  all  complete.  It  was  very 
curious.  She  might  have  selected  for  aught  we  know 
— Joseph,  James,  Samuel,  Abel,  John,  Peter — but 
with  remarkable  prescience  the  chosen  name  that  for 
so  many  years  bafiied  inquiry  Avas  simiDly — Job — and 
more  than  Job's  patience  had  been  expended  in  trac- 
ing it.] 

The  importance  of  im,inediately  following  up  the 
faintest  probability  cannot  be  too  strongly  urged. 
If  you  lose  your  one  chance  what  hope  is  left  for  you  ? 
"  We  have  these  treasures  in  earthern  vessels."  Lives 
and  memories  hang  on  brittle  threads.  Especially  if 
you  hear  of  an  elderly  person  likely  to  impart  de- 


JAPHETH  IX  SEARCH  OF  HIS  FOREFATHERS.  2)31 

sirable  intelligence,  go  for  him  at  once.  So  many 
unforeseen  casualties  may  occlir.  I  remember  once 
hastening  as  soon  as  I  thought  decency  would  permit, 
to  extract  some  needful  item  from  a  bereaved  widower 
who,  it  was  feared,  would  not  long  survive  the  loss  of 
his  life's  companion,  and  the  poor  old  soul  had 
already  skipped  off  with  a  frisky  young  wife  upon  a 
wedding  journey.  A  few  days  delay  would  have  left 
my  Jay  problem  unsolved.  Nothing  surprised  me 
more  than  to  find  a  problem  in  this  numerous  and 
somewhat  common-place  family.  The  Jays  were  as 
plenty  in  town  as  robins  and  blackbirds,  filling  a 
whole  district  and  burying-ground.  A  Nathaniel 
Jay  bought  up  a  large  tract  of  land  in  that  section 
and  joined  the  church  in  due  form  at  an  early  date, 
and  I  supposed  in  a  single  tramp  through  district 
and  burying-ground  I  could  pick  up  all  family  details 
that  were  needed.  But  behold,  on  the  contrary,  not 
a  chatterer  among  them  could  give  the  least  account 
of  his  ancestry,  or  had  any  knowledge  or  tradition 
of  the  first  immigrant,  Nathaniel.  To  be  sure  they 
could  all  prattle  most  volubly  about  Grandfather  Jay, 
the  popular  landlord  of  the  famous  "  Half-way  Tav- 
ern," but  he  might  have  been  Melchisedek  himself 
for  ought  they  knew  of  his  origin,  and  so  the  matter 
rested,  to  my  great  annoyance,  till  Mrs.  Blue  Jay 
came  chirping  up  to  me  one  Sunday  intermission  (we 
did  not  go  to  the  same  church  and  met  by  the  merest 
accident). 


232  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

"  It's  not  Sunday  talk,''  she  whispered  mysteriously, 
"  but  you  know  what  you  asked  my  husband,  and  he 
has  found  out  that  Cousin  Jotham  out  by  '  The 
Brass  Ball'  knows  more  about  it  than  all  the  rest  of 
us,  and  after  haying  he  is  going  to  see  him  and  write 
it  off  for  you." 

"  He  need  not  trouble  himself,"  I  replied  with  my 
usual  briskness,  "  I'll  see  him  myself  to-morrow." 

That  a  horse  could  have  been  beguiled  out  of  the 
hay-fields  on  such  an  errand  was  extremely  doubtful, 
but  by  rare  good  luck  a  friend  needed  conveyance  to 
an  out-of-the-way  station  in  that  vicinity.  It  was 
the  loveliest  of  midsummer  days.  Passing  over  the 
old  witch-ground,  so  famous  in  local  tradition,  what 
marvel  that  we  were  beset  and  hindered  on  our  way. 
The  wailing  spectres,  phantom  reapers,  and  headless 
ghosts  of  other  days  had  indeed  forever  vanished ; 
no  magic  deer  wiled  us  into  elusive  chase  over  the 
hill-sides — but  wild  roses  in  the  freshness  of  "  young 
bud  and  bloom  "  essayed  their  utmost  witchery  ;  clus- 
ters of  rare,  golden  lilies  beckoned  into  woodland 
hollows  ;  seductive  strawberries  gleamed  out  from 
uncut  mowing,  and  over-bearing  raspberry  bushes 
fairly  flung  their  luscious  fruit  into  our  mouths  and 
baskets.  Bob-o-links  challenged  a  race  over  the  fra- 
grant meadows ;  thickets  rang  with  the  carols  of 
cheery  chewinks,  and  birds  of  strange  x^lumage  and 
alien  notes  enticed  as  if  with  the  very  song  of  the  si- 


JAPHETH  IX  SEARCH  OF  HIS  FOREFATHERS.  233 

Tens.  Heroically  shutting  eyes  and  ears  against  these 
blandishments  we  reached  the  station,  unscathed,  in 
due  season,  whence  I  pursued  my  way  alone  to  the  far- 
thest extremity  of  Jaydom,  passing  many  a  home 
nest,  and  the  great  old  tavern  where  Washington 

took  breakfast "  That's  no   such   rarity,"  you 

will  say.  "  Did  not  he  breakfast,  dine,  or  sup,  in 
«very  old  tavern  of  the  country  ?  "  But  would  not 
you  like  to  have  seen  young  Nathan  Hale  prance  up 
to  the  doorstep  that  cold  January  morning  in  1776, 
when  the  taverns  were  so  crowded  that  he  had  to 
ride  eighteen  miles  before  he  could  snatch  a  morsel 
of  food  ;  or  hob-a-nob-ed  with  Putnam,  glass  to  glass, 
in  the  great  bar-room  ;  or  bartered  greetings  with 
those  valiant  champions,  Knowlton  and  Durkee ;  or 
-cheered  the  triumphant  battalions  under  Generals 
Heath  and  Sullivan  as  they  marched  to  New  York 
after  the  evacuation  of  Boston ;  or  bring  back  for 
one  golden  hour  the  vanished  glories  of  the  deserted 
thoroughfare  ? 

Cousin  Jotham's  plain  farm-house  recalled  me  to 
present  duties.  A  burly  old  fellow,  with  very  red 
face  and  most  abnormal  nose,  sat  by  the  table  at  the 
open  window  munching  down  his  supper.  Pro- 
pounding with  new  hope  the  stereotyped  query — 
^'  Can  you  tell  me  anything  about  the  Nathaniel  Jay 
who  bought  the  Saltonstall  tract  in  1740,"  "Yes,  I 
know  everything  about  him,"  he  interrupted.     "  He 


234:  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

was  my  great-grandfather,  and  came  to  this  town 
when  grandfather  Jay,  his  youngest  child,  was  just 
two  years  old."  And  thence  he  went  on  to  report  his 
various  wives  and  children,  and  their  several  hus- 
bands, wives,  children,  occupations,  and  places  of 
residence,  as  clear,  methodical,  and  minute,  as  if  he 
had  served  apprenticeship  at  a  Genealogical  Bureau. 
He  was  his  grandfather's  boy,  he  said,  and  used  to 
potter  all  over  the  farm  with  him,  hearing  his  old 
stories  ;  and  so  it  came  to  pass  that  he  alone  of  all  the 
race  had  treasured  up  the  family  history.  And  to 
think  that  within  three  days  after  this  interview  this 
faithful  custodian  should  have  been  gathered  to  his 
grandfathers,  cut  down  in  his  own  hay-field  by  a  sun- 
stroke, and  if  I  had  waited  for  Mr.  Blue  Jay  to  have 
finished  his  haying,  or  if  Mrs.  Blue  Jay  had  not 
broken  the  Sabbath,  not  one  of  their  numerous  brood 
might  have  heard  this  true  story  of  their  ancestors. 
Finding  your  prospective  victim  alive  and  accessi- 
ble, a  word  of  caution  may  be  helpful.  Over  rash- 
ness and  precipitancy  may  blast  your  hopes  in  the 
moment  of  anticipated  discovery.  Old  people,  espe- 
cially those  remote  from  the  world  in  country  places, 
are  easily  flustered  and  unstrung.  To  burst  in  upon 
a  feeble  old  woman  with  blunt  announcement  of 
name  and  errand  might  drive  every  idea  and  memory 
from  her  bewildered  brain,  and  reduce  her  to  tempo- 
rary imbecility. 


JAPHETH  IN  SEARCH  OF  HIS  FOREFATHERS .  235 

"  I  tliiuk  I  did  have  a  sister  Olive  once,"  whimpered 
a  poor  old  lady  badgered  out  of  her  wits  by  an  un- 
skilled evidence-taker.  Gradual  approach  should 
precede  the  main  attack.  Assume  an  errand  if  you 
have  it  not.  Take  along-  your  butter  pail  or  ^^^ 
basket,  and  from  easy  chat  upon  crops  and  weather 
glide  imperceptibly  into  family  matters,  and  you  will 
hardly  fail  to  unlock  the  treasures  of  memory  and 
the  still  more  precious  records,  carefully  hoarded  in 
Bible  and  pocket-book.  Whatever  you  hear  or  find^ 
do  not  waste  time  and  temper  in  debate  and  argu- 
ment. However  absurd  may  be  the  family  theory  of 
your  informants,  it  is  not  wise  to  controvert  it.  Their 
facts  may  be  "  lirst-rate  "  if  their  "  theory  don't  coin- 
cide." You  are  not  a  judge  nor  partisan  pleader  but 
a  seeker  after  truth ;  and  what  you  need  above  all  is 
to  have  every  witness  state  whatever  facts  he  may 
have,  after  his  own  light  and  fashion.  It  is  just  pos- 
sible that  his  pet  theory  is  nearer  right  than  your 
own,  and  there  are  often  germs  of  truth  in  the  most 
absurd  theories.  More  than  once  I  have  been  forced 
to  adopt  views  which  I  thought  at  first  utterly  pre- 
posterous. If  you  suffer  pangs  of  conscience  at 
leaving  an  ancient  relative,  in  Avhat  seems  to  you 
gross  error,  consider  the  probable  futility  of  attempt- 
ing to  enlighten  him.  Jokes  and  opiates  may  be  in- 
jected into  the  system,  but  what  can  expel  an  idea 
from   the   fossilized    intellect?     Even   if    under  the 


236  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

pressure  of  inexorable  logic  yon  compel  yonr  oppo- 
nent to  admit  that  a  man  cannot  die  before  lie  is  born, 
or  be  older  than  his  grandmother,  you  will  hear  him 
within  twenty -four  hours  reiterate  the  same  absurd- 
ities. It  is  Avell,  however,  to  insinuate  mildly  that 
other  branches  of  the  family  hold  different  opinions 
and  theories,  leading  your  informant  to  a  more  care- 
ful scrutiny  of  his  own  position,  and  bringing  out 
more  clearly  all  sides  of  the  question. 

These  veteran  hard-shells,  Avitli  one  or  two  de- 
tached facts  to  stand  upon,  are  far  less  exasperating 
than  their  light-minded  antipodes,  void  alike  of  facts 
and  theories.  Old  people,  in  genealogical  estimate, 
are  either  priceless  or  good-for-nought.  Some  have 
memories  like  a  well-ordered  store-house,  with  most 
valuable  commodities  carefully  assorted  and  labeled  ; 
while  others  are  best  typified  by  the  household  rag- 
bag or  refuse-heai3.  Truly  pitiful  it  often  seems  that 
eighty  or  ninety  years'  experience  should  have  gar- 
nered up  so  little  worth  preserving  or  repeating — and 
yet  it  will  not  do  to  despise  rag-bags  and  rubbish- 
heaps,  for  precious  things  sometimes  slip  into  them 
that  would  never  find  their  way  into  an  orderly  re- 
ceptacle. Such  a  time  as  I  had  with  old  Lady 
Feather-pate.  The  descendant  of  a  pioneer  family, 
with  a  grandfather  almost  Enoch-Arden-ized  by  cap- 
tivity in  the  French  and  Indian  War,  a  father  who 
had  drummed  through  the  Eevolution  in  Putnam's 


JAPHETH  IX  SEARCH  OF  HIS  FOREFATHERS.  237 

own  regiment,  and  personal  acquaintance  witli  all 
the  noted  ministry  and  gentry  of  her  own  generation 
— I  could  not  get  a  tangible  item  out  of  her.  Again 
and  again,  with  the  utmost  care  and  patience,  I 
Avould  lead  the  conversation  back  to  some  note- 
worthy person  or  incident  with  which  she  must  have 
been  perfectly  familiar,  and  off  she  would  bob  to 
some  irrelevant  household  matter,  descanting  with 
greatest  volubility  upon  her  success  in  raising  calces, 
Tvhich  seemed  to  have  been  the  culmination  of  her 
life's  achievement — (It  was  whispered,  indeed,  that 
her  own  graceless  cubs  did  her  far  less  credit).  But 
amid  the  scum  and  froth  of  this  disjointed  babble 
there  bubbled  out,  inadvertently,  a  diamond  of  the 
first  water;  a  definite,  chronological,  long-buried 
fact,  whose  recovery  is  pronounced  by  my  friend, 
Mr.  Gradgrind,  of  more  practical  value  than  the  sum 
total  of  all  my  previous  investigations — a  fact  which 
settled  the  original  lay-out  of  a  contested  highway, 
and  saved  two  tow^ns  from  angry  debate  and  impeud- 
ing  litigation. 

This  apparent  dependence  upon  mere  chance  and 
luck  in  antiquarian  researches  can  hardly  fail  to 
awaken  anxious  solicitude.  If  we  scarcely  manage 
to  save  so  many  valuable  items,  must  we  not  lose 
many  others  ?  Even  in  matters  that  would  seem  to 
demand  only  patient  plodding  there  is  an  element  of 
uncertainty.     A  gap  is  found  in  the  church  records 


^38  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

just  at  tlie  time  that  missing  great-grandmother 
might  have  been  born  or  married,  a  pivotal  date  by 
chance  left  out,  precious  names  blotted  or  undeci- 
pherable, blundering  entries,  entailing  inextricable 
confusion  and  bewilderment.  It  is  almost  needless 
to  advise  an  earnest,  persistent  Japheth  never  to  send 
for  information  when  he  can  possibly  go  for  it,  know- 
ing as  he  does  the  risk  of  entrusting  such  search  to 
an  indifferent  person.  Undoubtedly  experts  may  be 
found,  especially  in  old  mother  towns,  who  take  pro- 
fessional pride  in  unraveling  the  most  complicated 
lineage ;  but  the  acumen  of  the  ordinary  town  clerk 
is,  to  say  the  least,  problematic.  They  are  often 
a  ftlicted  with  that  peculiar  optical  infirmity  that  re- 
stricts  the  vision  to  things  directlj^  under  the  nose. 
I  have  known  them  positively  deny  the  existence  of 
records  that  historic  instinct  ferreted  out  in  five  min- 
utes. It  is  observed,  however,  that  an  application  of 
gold-dust  or  bank-note  is  a  sovereign  specific  in  such 
cases.  Equally  uncertain  is  the  result  of  epistolary 
effort,  the  blanks,  as  in  other  lotteries,  bearing  a  large 
proportion  to  the  prizes.  Of  course,  all  that  can  be 
done  is  to  try  our  chances  over  and  over,  believing 
that  an  earnest  seeker  will  in  time  attain  the  object 
of  search.  For  myself,  I  came  at  last  to  a  certain 
assured  conviction  that  all  that  I  needed  Avould  some- 
how find  its  way  to  me. 

"  Nor  time,  nor  space,  nor  deep,  nor  high, 
Can  keep  away  my  own  from  me  !" 


JAPHETH  IN  SEARCH  OF  HIS  FOREFATHERS.  239 

Ever  following,  never  fainting-,  watching-,  liiinting-, 
plodding,  year  after  year,  you  will  in  time  solve  your 
problems,  fit  in  your  links,  establish  connection,  and 
complete  in  a  g-ood  deg-ree  your  family  record.  Some 
perverse  g-reat-grandmother  or  minor  collateral  may 
yet  evade  you,  permitting  you  the  tantalizing  pleas- 
ure of  further  research.  Can  anyone  give  tidings  of 
a  certain  fair  Rachel,  married  in  1738  to  a  faithful 
Benjamin  C  ?  Blank  spaces  in  many  "  Ancestral  Tab- 
lets-" are  waiting  for  her  name. 

[Several  statements  in  the  above  paragraph  need 
modification  and  retraction.  I  am  most  happy  to 
afiirm  that  the  efficiency  of  the  ordinary  town  official 
is  not  in  these  days  "  problematic."  On  the  contrarj^, 
since  the  great  demand  for  family  records,  the  in- 
efficient and  blundering  town  clerk  has  become  ex- 
ceptional, and  many  of  them  have  attained  almost 
preternatural  acuteness  in  answering  these  demands. 
The  stupidity  of  a  former  fossil,  who  withheld  for 
half  a  dozen  years  the  needful  record  from  a  most 
importunate  old  gentleman  simply  because  of  one 
superfluous  letter  in  the  name,  cannot  be  paralleled 
in  these  days.  Driven  to  desperation,  this  persevering 
Japheth  instituted  search  in  every  town  of  the  coun- 
ty, though  all  the  evidence  pointed  to  one  particular 
town.  Having  occasion  to  visit  this  town,  I  remem- 
bered his  iDlaintive  appeal,  and  taking  up  the  birth- 
record,  there,  on  the  very  first  page,  inscribed  in 
large,  bold  letters  with  the  blackest  of  ink,  were  the 
names  of  this  identical  "John  and  Hannah,"  at  the 


240  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

IDrecise  dates  specified  in  search  warrant — with  just 
an  o  added  to  the  family  name,  making-  it  Broad  in- 
stead of  Brad !  Anyone  famihar  with  old  records 
knows  that  a  few  vowels,  more  or  less,  make  no  differ- 
ence. There  was  no  standard  of  spelling-,  and,  first 
names  and  date  corresponding,  there  need  have  been 
no  doubt  in  this  and  similar  cases.  Most  fortunately 
our  long  suffering  and  waiting  friend  survived  to 
attain  this  welcome  verification.] 

The  omission  or  displacement  of  some  small  letter 
may  be  equally  disastrous  in  consequences.  With 
deep  contrition  I  recall  the  perplexity  and  labor  in- 
flicted upon  two  painstaking-  genealogists  by  inad- 
vertently overlooking  in  proof  the  substitution  of 
John  for  Jonah  and  Joseph  for  Josiah.  Both  had 
the  sense  to  appeal  from  the  printed  page  to  previous 
notes,  which  fortunately  enabled  me  to  correct  the 
error.  AVhere  old  town  records  have  been  copied 
there  is  room  for  many  errors  to  creep  in,  unless  the 
copyist  is  familiar  with  old  family  names.  In  case  of 
doubt  it  is  wise  to  consult  the  original  record.  In  an 
instance  where  the  birth-date  of  the  oldest  child  was 
omitted  from  the  copy,  I  found  it  safely  tucked  away 
in  the  dogs-ear  roll  of  the  discarded  leaf.  Old  minis- 
ters in  baptizing  a  batch  of  babies  sometimes  man- 
aged to  mix  up  the  names  in  recording  them — a  source 
of  perplexity  somewhat  difficult  to  unravel  till  we 
find  him  marrying  the  exchanged  Lucys  or  Abigails- 
— and  are  able  to  fit  them  into  their  ris-htf ul  families. 


JAPHETH  IN  SEARCH  OF  HIS  FOREFATHERS.  24:1 

Still  by  care  and  patience  we  learn  to,  discriminate 
and  circumvent  these  several  errors. 

And  even  assured  success  may  have  its  reserva- 
tions. It  must  be  admitted  that  our  ancestors  are 
not  always  Avhat  we  desired  and  expected.  Some  of 
us  have  to  take  up  with  Ham  instead  of  Shem  or 
Japheth.  I  have  myself  restored  grandparents  to 
anxious  descendants  when  I  would  fain  have  whis- 
pered Pope's  couplet : 

"  Go  and  pretend  your  family  is  young, 
Nor  own  5'our  fathers  have  been  fools  so  loug." 

It  was  embarrassing  to  report  to  an  unknown  ap- 
plicant from  Boston,  that  one  of  the  name  had  been 
publicly  flogged  at  the  whipping  post  for  breaking 
the  Sabbath  ;  that  another  had  figured  as  a  witch, 
sticking  pins  into  sleeping  neighbors,  and  commit- 
ting other  malicious  pranks  ;  and  a  third,  bearing  the 
same  unlucky  name,  was  the  last  man  Inuig  in  the 
county !  One  letter  of  inquiry  among  hundreds  that 
have  come  to  me  is  left  unanswered,  my  pen  refusing 
to  blast  the  hopes  of  the  wife  of  a  high  church  dig- 
nitary by  the  disgraceful  intelligence  that  the  last 
heard  of  her  unworthy  progenitor  he  had  been  con- 
victed of  horse-stealing,  whipped,  branded,  and  sent 
back  to  jail  for  lack  of  means  to  pay  the  fine.  Let 
him  rest  in  dark  oblivion.  An  ancestor  with  no  more 
consideration  for  the  feelings  of  descendants  de- 
serves to  be  blotted  from  their  record. 
20 


242  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

[I  feel  now  that  I  was  utterly  at  fault  in  the  above 
premises  and  conclusion.  Under  present  light  and 
experience  I  feel  that  the  inquirer  should  be  in- 
formed of  every  fact  connected  with  his  family  his- 
tory, and  that  the  genealogist  has  no  right  to  keep 
back  discoveries,  however  unfavorable.] 

"  From  Nature's  chain  whatever  link  you  strike, 
Tenth  or  ten-thousandth  breaks  the  chain  alike." 

If  one  link  was  unsound,  those  back  of  it  may  have 
proved  of  true  metal.  How  great  the  loss  inflicted 
in  this  particular  instance  can  never  be  determined. 
My  horse-lifter  may  have  come  from  some  robber 
count  or  highland  freebooter ;  he  may  have  de- 
scended, like  myself,  from  William  the  Conqueror  or 
a  line  of  raiding  Yikings,  and  by  withholding  this 
link  I  have  robbed  the  Bishop's  children  of  ability  to 
prove  connection.  We  wish,  like  good  Mr.  Omer, 
"  that  parties  were  brought  up  stronger  minded,"  so 
that  the  genealogist  need  not  feel  qualmish  in  mak- 
ing disagreeable  revelations.  It  is  certainly  absurd 
for  citizens  of  our  great  republic  to  be  unduly 
squeamish  concerning  the  social  position  of  their  an- 
cestors. We  cannot  "  all  be  corporals  "  as  the  chil- 
dren expected  in  the  old  story,  and  may  take  right- 
ful pride  in  having  worked  our  way  up  from  the  ranks 
by  dint  of  honest  struggle  and  gradual  promotion. 
Even  the  honor  and  privilege  of  tracing  your  line 
straight  back  to  historic  names  brought  over  in  the 
Mayflower,  or  Winthrop's  fleet,  has  its  drawbacks. 


JAPHETH  IN  SEARCH  OF  HIS  FOREFATHERS.  24^3 

" What  a  descent','  said  a  sarcastic  old  gentleman 
to  a  boastful  scion  of  the  Pilgrims.  A  less  noted 
line  may  also  portend  a  more  vigorous  future.  Fam- 
ilies, like  their  familiar  symbol,  grow,  culminate,  and 
decay.  Your  old  trees  have  hollow  trunks  and  many 
sapless,  moss-grown  branches.  Some  are  blighted, 
some  quickened  by  change  of  position  and  climate. 

"  A  tree  thnt  stands  square  in  old  Massachusetts, 

When  transplanted  to  other  States  sometimes  askew  sets." 

The  most  hopelessly  inert,  lifeless,  incapable  speci- 
mens of  humanity  may  be  found  among  the  descend- 
ants of  old  Puritan  magnates.  And  while  there  are' 
those  wdio  still  do  honor  to  illustrious  names,  it  must 
be  admitted  that  it  is  the  new  blood  that  chiefly  leads 
in  public  afl'airs.  Over  fruitfulness  in  past  genera- 
tions may  have  impaired  capacity  for  present  pro- 
duction, and  the  lower  the  social  position  of  your 
grandfather  the  better  may  be  the  chance  for  your 
grandson's  future. 

But  there  are  things  unearthed  by  the  genealogist 
harder  to  bear  than  degree  of  social  position.  There 
are  "  blots  on  the  escutcheon,"  bar-sinisters,  too  great 
discrepancy  between  dates  of  birth  and  marriage,  in 
some  instances  birth  preceding  marriage.  Those 
familiar  Avith  ancient  church  records  find  frequent 
examples  of  such  previousness.  The  custom  of  ex- 
torting a  public  confession  from  such  ofl'enders  would 


244  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

seem  to  have  aggravated  the  evil,  making  it  almost 
a  matter  of  course  that  such  confession  should  be 
needed.  With  our  ideas  of  the  strictness  of  Puritan 
morals  and  discipline,  it  seems  remarkable  that  such 
a  condition  of  things  should  have  existed  ;  yet  in 
point  of  fact,  it  was  less  immoral  than  appears  on  the 
surface,  and  was  based  on  the  old  Germanic  idea  of 
the  sacredness  of  the  betrothal.  "Engaged  folks 
have  a  right  to  live  like  married  ones,"  was  the  blunt 
assertion  of  one  sturdy  recusant.  The  poverty  of  the 
times,  the  lack  of  business  openings,  made  it  difficult 
for  a  young  man  to  provide  and  maintain  an  inde- 
pendent household,  and  existing  customs  allowed 
great  liberty  of  intercourse  between  contracting 
parties.  In  one  case,  at  least,  marriage  was  delayed 
till  the  youngster  was  old  enough  to  be  the  most  con- 
spicuous witness  of  the  ceremony.  It  may  be  said 
that  this  liberty  w^as  seldom  abused,  and  that  in- 
stances where  marriage  did  not  follow  this  previous 
intercourse  are  very  infrequent.  But  when  for  some 
unavoidable  cause  marriage  was  prevented,  it  bore 
most  hardly  upon  the  unmarried  mother,  bearing 
through  life  a  burden  of  disgrace  and  sorrow,  having 
lapsed  no  more  than  hundreds  of  more  fortunate 
sisters  who  lived  and  died  in  honor.  On  the  other 
side,  a  pathetic  incident  occurred  in  the  death  of  a 
young  mother  soon  after  the  birth  of  her  child.  The 
infant  was  baptized  at  its  dying  mother's  bedside, 


JAPHETH  IN  SEARCH  OF  HIS  FOREFATHERS.  2-1:5 

but  almost  immediately  the  father  had  its  birth  re- 
corded under  his  own  name,  and  his  family  assumed 
its  charge  and  support.  But  a  shadow  followed  the 
young-  man  through  life.  When,  after  a  time,  he  de- 
cided to  marry,  his  first  child  was  given  the  name  of 
his  lost  love,  and  his  life  ends  in  a  mazy  tradition  of 
falling  over  a  bridge  in  mist  and  darkness.  In  that 
case,  as  in  many  others,  marriage  had  been  delayed 
simply  as  a  matter  of  convenience. 

But  in  the  days  following  the  Revolution  there  was 
far  greater  looseness  of  morals  and  manners.  It  was 
a  time  of  general  upheaval  and  commotion.  The 
deadness  of  the  established  churches,  the  spread  of 
French  Revolution  ideas  and  infidelity,  the  assertion 
of  i3ersonal  liberty,  and  the  excessive  use  of  liquor,  all 
conspired  to  induce  a  very  bad  condition  of  affairs. 
The  diary  of  our  friend  Zeph  gives  a  graphic  picture 
of  the  frolickings  and  junketings  among  young  peo- 
ple of  his  grade,  and  among  his  many  frank  entries 
are  those  of  numerous  births  immediately  preceding, 
or  without,  marriage.  Nor  were  things  much  better 
among  the  higher  classes.  That  such  a  graceless  rep- 
robate as  Oliver  Dodge  could  have  maintained  his 
position  in  such  a  town  as  Pomfret,  shows  the  low 
tone  of  public  morals.  Our  first  ventures  in  pop- 
ular literature  bear  striking  testimony  in  this  line. 
Ministers'  sons  and  deacons'  daughters,  teachers  in 
Plainfield  Academy  and   promising  young  lawyers. 


246  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

figure  in  highly  sensational  stories,  with  only  too 
mnch  literal  foundation.  With  the  new  century 
came  new  spiritual  life  and  movements,  and  influ- 
ences were  set  at  work  that  wrought  a  wonderful 
betterment  in  all  directions.  If  any  genealogical 
Japheth  lights  upon  an  unfavorable  record,  or  lack 
of  record,  during  this  unsavory  period,  he  can  only 
comfort  himself  by  the  probability  that  many  others 
are  in  the  same  situation.  The  genealogist  may 
deem  himself  fortunate  who  never  stumbles  upon  an 
unpleasant  revelation.  "  Any  possible  move,"  says 
the  wise  Mr.  Bucket,  "  being  a  probable  move  ac- 
cording to  my  experience."  Considering  all  the  bad 
things  that  have  been  done  in  the  world,  we  have  no 
right  to  claim  exemption  for  our  ancestors.  And  the 
farther  back  we  go  the  greater  probability  of  wrong- 
doing. It  is  all  very  well  to  trace  your  line  back  into 
the  old  world,  intersecting  lines  of  nobility  and  kings, 
but  their  character  and  conduct  will  not  bear  close 
inspection.  A  line  or  lines  straight  back  without 
gap  or  blot  to  substantial  New  England  settlers  is 
as  good  a  thing  as  one  need  have  in  the  way  of  an- 
cestry, and  many  such  favored  lines  have  been  tri- 
umphantly established,  while  failure  in  any  point 
certainly  demands  great  exercise  of  philosophy. 

But  if  you  have  not  gained  all  that  you  would  like, 
your  search  has  not  been  fruitless.  Apart  from  the 
fascinating  excitement  of  pursuit  it  has  strengthened 


JAPHETH  IN  SEARCH  OF  HIS  FOREFATHERS.  24:7 

the  ties  of  blood  and  kindred,  and  given  you  a  closer 
apprehension  of  the  oneness  of   the  human  family. 
Amid  the  hurry  and  rush  of  our  headlong  national 
growth  and  expansion  this  modern  interest  in  genea- 
logical research  has  a  most  beneficent  and  humaniz- 
ing influence,  counteracting  the  tendency  to  separa- 
tion and  dispersion,  and  drawing  thousands  of  scat- 
tered families  around  a  common  hearthstone.     Most 
noteworthy  is  its  bearing  upon  the  vexed  question 
of  New  England's  future.     At  a  time  when  the  out- 
flow of  its  native  population  and  the  influx  of  for- 
eigners has  revolutionized  the  rural  district,  when  a 
great  majority  of  Yankee  farms  are  tilled  by  those 
of  alien  blood  and  tongue,  this  awakened  interest  in 
ancestral  homes  and  shrines  is  a  hopeful  feature  in 
the  situation.     Pilgrim  sons  of  Pilgrim  fathers  pay 
pious  visits  to  the  graves  of  their  ancestors,  and  ar- 
range for  their  better  care  and  more  fitting  memo- 
rial stone  or  tablet.     Often  the  interest  extends  to 
the  family  homestead,  the  neighborhood,  the  town, 
and  finds  expression  in   helpful  aid— in   renovated 
church-yard  and  church   edifice  ;  in  public  school- 
house  or  library  building.    Many  a  town  has  received 
a  new  impulse  from  these  friendly  gifts,  arousing  the 
before  discouraged  residents  to   greater    efforts  in 
their  own  behalf,  and  stimulating  the  interest  and 
cooperation  of  other  wandering  sons  and  old-time 
residents.       Family    reunions   at    ancestral  homes, 


248  HISTORIC    GLEANINGS. 

bringing  together  sons  and  daughters  from  all  parts 
of  the  land,  strengthen  the  ties  of  blood  and  early 
association,  and  make  it  more  and  more  evident  that 
sons  of  New  England  will  not  outgrow  their  filial 
relations  ;  that  the  homes  that  nourished  the  infancy 
of  our  land  will  be  even  more  honored  and  cherished 
as  time  rolls  on. 

And  in  its  more  personal  aspect  the  genealogist 
finds  great  reward.  His  feeling  of  kinship  widens 
out  to  the  whole  family  circle  and  brings  them  into 
reciprocal  relations.  Truly  "  he  setteth  the  solitary 
in  families."  To  many  isolated  lives  he  brings  new 
sources  of  interest  and  consolation.  The  most  shriv- 
eled old  maid,  the  dryest  old  twig  of  a  bachelor, 
gains  new  life  and  freshness  when  incorporated  into 
a  family  tree.  To  how  many  of  our  elderly  friends 
this  pursuit  has  brought  enjoyment  that  nothing  else 
could  substitute.  How  striking  its  adaptation  to  the 
instinctive  craving  of  those,  who  retired  from  active 
labor,  can  thus  gather  up  the  past  and  project  it  into 
the  future : 

"  Becoming,  as  is  meet  aud  fit. 
A  link  among  the  days,  to  knit 
The  generations,  each  to  each." 

How  hopeful  the  interest  and  enthusiasm  thus 
awakened  among  the  younger  branches. 

Success  to  all  the  Japheths,  far  and  near!  May 
each  achieve  his  "  Tree,"  and  may  its  shadow  never 
be  less. 


INDEX 


A,  Benjamin,  198. 
Abbe,  Kachael.  100. 
Adams,  Abigail,  54. 
Adams,  Mrs.  Elisha,  127. 
Adams,  Samuel.  17,  90,  91. 
Allis,  Abigail,  54. 
Allston,  Washington,  217. 
Almy,  Sampson,  162. 
Alton,  Mrs.    Elizabeth   (Hos- 

mer),  127. 
Andros,  Sir  Edmund,  3,  139. 
Angel,  Jonathan,  177. 
Angell,  Job,  151,  153,  154. 
Aplin,  John,  147. 
Aspinwall.  Peter,  135,  137. 
Avery,  Mr.,  17. 

Backus,  Rev.  Isaac,  37,  38,  43. 
Bacon,  James,  60. 
Ballou,  Rev.  Hosea,  183. 
Bancroft,  90. 
Barrett,  John,  113. 
Bartholomew,    Mrs.    Abigail, 

53. 
Bartholomew,  William,  53. 
Bass,  Rev.  John.  147. 
Belcher,  Jonathan,  57. 
Bishop,  Widow,  196. 
Blackwell,  Sir  John,  56-57. 
Blake,  Goody,  128. 
Bolles,  Lucius,  156. 
Bowles,  Captain,  149. 
Bowlses,  60. 
Bradbury,  Jermima,  61. 
Bradford,  17. 

Mrs.  Hannah,  66. 
Broad,  Hannah,  239. 

John,  239. 


Brown,  146. 

Rev.  Aaron,  72,  106. 

Jeremiah,  149. 

John,  149. 

Nicholas,  156. 
Buck,  Lieut.,  112. 
Bucket,  Mr.,  246. 
Bullock,  148. 

C ,  Benjamin,  239. 

C.  Elder,  184,  188,   189,    193, 

194. 
Cady,  01. 

Daniel,  99. 

Joseph,  99,  149,  160. 

Mrs.  Joseph,  160. 
Calhoon.  Mr.,  149. 
Cargill,  Capt.  Benjamin,  8. 

Lucy,  80. 

William  E.,  81. 
Carpenter,  Mr.,  60. 
Chaffery,  Old,  18. 
Chandler,  Capt.  John,  57,  59, 

60. 
Chandler,  Deacon  John,  59. 

John,  58.  61. 

Peleg,  156. 
Chase,  148. 
Chauncey,  Dr.,  73. 
Cheese,  Sam.,  118. 
Childs,  Capt.  Elisha,  110. 

Ephraim,  110. 

Henry,  110. 
Christopher.  Mr.,  8. 
Clap,  Rector,  30,  209. 

Rev.  Thomas,  65. 
Clark,  James,  103. 
"Claverouse,  Bloody,"  46. 


250 


INDEX. 


CleramoDS,  John,  170. 
Cleveland,  Capt.  Aaron,  94. 

Ebenezer.  29. 

John,  17,  29-31. 

Mrs.  Josiah,  16. 

Gen.  Moses,  94. 
Cogswell,  Rev.  James,  26,  28, 

29,  32,  46.  50,  92,  93. 
Coit,  Abigail,  61. 

Billy,  60,  61. 

John,  60,  61. 

Rev.  Joseph,  59-61. 

Martha,  60. 
Coit,  Mrs.  Mehitable  Chand- 
ler, 59,  66. 
Coit,  Thomas,  59-60. 
Cole,  Nathan,  12. 
Coleman,  Goodman,  54. 
Coles,  Old  Captain,  170. 
Congdon,  148. 
Converse.  Jacob,  156. 
Cook,    Capt.    Nicholas,    141, 

155. 
Corbin    Mrs.    Caroline    Fair- 
field, 130. 
Corbin,  Jabez,  60. 

James,  60. 
Corliss,  Captain,  149. 
Cotton,  Rev.  Josiah,  147. 
Coy,  61. 
Crosby,   Capt.   Stephen,    112, 

114.  115. 
Cutler,  Ephraim,  98-129. 

Manasseh,  72,  76,  78,85, 
99. 

Daggett,  Dr.,  65. 

Pres..  73. 
Danielson,  George  W. .  163. 
Danielson,    Lieut.    Col.    Wil- 
liam, 98,  99. 
Danielson,  Major,  99. 
Denison,  Thomas,  36. 
Devotion,  Ebenezer,  95. 

Elizabeth,  92. 
Dickinson,  Obadiah,  54. 
Dike,  Thomas,  112,  113. 

Samuel.  112. 


Dixon,  Nathan  F.,  156. 
Dodge.  David,  64. 

David  L.,  65. 

William  E.,  65. 

Oliver.  206-215,  245. 
Dorrance,  Rev.    Samuel,    62- 

63. 
Douglass,  Benajah,  28. 
Dow,  Rev.  Daniel,  107. 

Mrs.,  108. 
Dudley,  62. 

Governor,  206. 
Dunlap,  218. 
Durkee,  Col.,  Ill,  233. 

Lawyer,  88. 

Capt.  John,  108. 
Dwight,  Dr.,  158. 
Dyer,  Col.,  22,  24,  25. 

Lawyer,  88. 

Earl.  William,  64. 
Eaton,  145. 

Dr.,  183. 

Joseph,  156. 
Eaton,  Mrs.  Anne  Woodcock, 

66. 
Edmonds,  Mr.,  66. 
Edwards,  Jonathan,  11. 
Elderkin,  Dr.  Joshua,  90. 

Joshua,  92. 

Jedidiah,  98. 
Elliott,  Apostle,  134. 
Elliott.  Capt.  Joseph,  99,  103, 

105.  114,  115. 
Elliott,  Lemuel,  160-161. 

Stephen,  114. 
Elwell.'Lieut.,  99-100. 

Farman.  Joseph,  154. 
Fisk,  148. 

Fitch,  Eleazer,  106-119. 
Fitch,  Major  James,  Jr., 2-10, 

16,  32,  75. 
Flint,  Miss  Dora,  91. 
Foot,  Mary,  54. 

Samuel,  54. 
Foster,  146. 
Frink,  Lawyer  Nathan,  120. 


INDEX. 


251 


Frizzel,  Joseph,  55. 
Frothingham,  Ebenezer,  34. 
Froude,"2. 
Fuller,  Job,  230. 

Gary,  Hannah,  59. 
Gaston,  Hon.  Wm.  L.,  44. 
Gay,  Joseph,  124. 

Theodore,  124,  125. 
Gilbert,  George,  215. 
Girk,  62. 

Goner,  James  H.,  228. 
Goner,   Susanna   Fuller,    229, 

230. 
Gradgrind,  Mr.,  237. 
Gray,  Lieut.  Ebenezer,  104. 

Lydia(Dyer),  77,  104, 
105. 
Gray,  Samuel,  90. 
Green,  Amos,  112. 

John,  99. 
Greene,  Nathaniel,  95. 
Grosvenor,  70. 

Ebenezer,   56,  101. 

Mrs.  Esther,  56. 

John.  56. 

Judge  Lemuel,  205. 

Oliver,  113. 

Captain  Seth,  102,  103. 

Hale,  Nathan.  233. 
Hall,  Anne.  216-219. 

Charles  H.,  217. 

Dr.  Jonathan,  205,  216. 
Hallowell,  Dr.,  146-147. 
Hanford,  Joseph,  171. 
Harrison,  William.  202. 
Hawthorne,    Nathaniel,    168, 

217. 
Hayward,  Philip,  156. 
Heath,  Gen.,  233. 
Henry,  Patrick.  94. 
Holmes,  Dr.  David,  78. 

Mrs.,  61.  66. 
Hopkins,  Stephen,  146. 
Hoppin,  148. 
Hovey,  John,  87. 


Howe,  Damaris  (Cady),  71. 

Rev.  Joseph,  70-78,  93, 
106. 
Howe,  Rev.  Perley,  71. 
Hoyt,  Captain,  172. 
Hubbard,    Dr.    Thomas,    85, 

183-184,  205. 
Huntington,     Col.    Jedediah, 
79. 

Irving,  Washington,  142. 

Jackson.  148. 

Jacob,  Old  Father.  178,  181 

Japheth.  221-222, 238-239, 241, 

246,  248. 
Jay,  Mr.  Blue,  234. 

Mrs.  Blue,  231,  234. 

Grandfather,  231,  234. 

Nathan,  231-233. 
Jefferson,  Thomas.  182,  185. 
Jeffries,  Wicked,  46. 
Jenks.  John.  154. 
Jeunings,  Captivity,  55. 

Hannah.  54-55. 
Johnson.  Lady  Arabella,  52. 

Obediah.  42,  103. 
Jones,  Mr.,  149. 

Kellogg,  Samuel,  54. 
Keyes,  Lieut..  102. 
King,  Philip,  134. 

Samuel,  217. 
Knight.  Madam,  136. 
Nehemiah,  157. 
Knowlton,    Captain    Thomas, 
70,  102,  103-111,  114,  233. 

Lafayette,  173. 

Larned,  Daniel,  97,  144,  146. 

Erastus,  156. 

George,  156. 

Sergeant  Jesse,  112. 

Rebekah  (Williamson), 
117,  118. 
Lathrop,  60-61. 
Leavens,  Justice  Joseph,  118. 


252 


INDEX. 


Leonard,  Rev.  Abiel,  111,  120, 

121. 
Liudsley,  B.,  149. 
Lord,  Dr.,  205. 

Dr.  Benjamin,  69. 
Lovejov.  Elder.  198. 
Lyman^  Bev.  Air..  212. 
Lyon,  Capt.  Benjamin,  100. 
Capt.  Daniel,  100. 

M,  Dr..  195. 
M,  Neighbor,  194. 
Madison,  James,  188. 
Malbone,  E.  G.,  217. 

Col.   Godfrey,  116,  117, 
119,  148 
Manning,  Capt.  Ephraim,  100, 

108. 
Manning,  President,  149,  150. 
Marcy,  61. 

Nathan.  100. 
Marryat,  Capt.,  221. 
Marsh,  Thomas,  86,  87. 
Mason,  Amasa,  161. 

James  B.,  156. 

John,  97,  144,  156. 

Major  John,  2. 

William  H.,  160. 
Mather,  168. 
McClellan,  70. 

Judah.  156. 

Rachel,  78. 

Samuel,  95,  101,  144. 

William,  156 
Merriam,  Captain,  118. 
Miantonomo,  134. 
Miller,  Rev.  Alexander,  43-45. 

Deacon,  60-61. 

Hannah.  119. 

Peter,  45. 
Mills,  Mr..  17. 
Missin,  226-227. 

Widow,  226. 
Mitchell,  Elder,  177. 
Mohalbi.  Garafilia,  218. 
Monroe,  James,  192. 
Moosup,  alias  Pessacus,  138. 
Morris,  Sam,  60-61. 


Morris,  Deacon,  60,  61. 
Morse,  164. 

Dea.  Jedidiah,  122,  128. 

John,  23. 

Dr.  Parker,  61. 
Mosely.  Mr.,  18. 

Ebenezer,  103. 
Moiilton,  Rev.  Ebenezer,  36. 

Mrs.  Louise    Chandler, 
130. 
Mumford,  217. 

Thomas,  145. 

Nichols,  Ebenezer,  113. 

George,  201. 
Nightingale,  164. 

Col,  149. 

Omer,  Mr.,  242. 
Otis,  James,  94. 
Owaneco,  3,  5,  6,  7. 

Pace,  Joseph,  201. 

Paine,  Rev.  Elisha,  Jr.,  10,  14, 

17,  22,  27,  28,  36,  38,  39,41, 

46,  50,  51-75. 
Paine,  Samuel,  53-55. 
Paine,  Solomon,    16.    17,    18, 

36,  37. 
Payne,  Abraham,  163 
Payson,  61. 
Peale,  Anna  C,  216. 
Sarah  M  ,  216. 
Peck,  Mother,  171. 
Perkins,  Dr.  Elisha,  78,  80. 
Perry,  Commodore,  190. 
Plvmpton,  Goodman,  54. 
Pope,  Alex,  241. 
Putnam,  Rev.  Aaron,  78,  101, 

102,   150,  206-207,   208-210, 

212. 
Putnam,  Daniel,  100. 
Putnam,  Gen.  Israel,   70,   80, 

94,  100,  103,  121,  123,  124, 

171,  233. 
Putnam,  Israel,  Jr.,  103. 
Lawyer,  88. 


INDEX. 


253 


Randall,  148. 
Tlaynsford,  Edward,  25. 
Revere,  Paul,  100. 
Rhodes,  William,  146 
Ripley,  Rev.  Mr.,  102. 
Robinson,  Alexander.  217. 
Rowland,  Rev.  David,  40, 147, 

148 
Russell,  Priest,  178. 

Samuel,  54. 

Col.  William,  156. 

Sabin,  Benjamin,  135. 

Dea.  Elisha,  108. 

Capt.  Hezekiab,  141. 

Capt.  Jobn.  138. 
,  Mrs.  Hannab.  141,  155. 

William  H.,  156. 
Saltonstall,  Gov.,  7,  8. 
Sampson.  134. 
Sawyer,  Mr.,  219. 
Sedgwick,  Tbeodore,  72. 
Sessions,  Darius,  93,  137,  141, 

148,  149.  156. 
Sessions,  Nathaniel,  137. 
Sewell,  168. 
Shaw,  Lucretia,  126. 
Shumway,  Elliott,  105. 
Sibley,  Old.  108. 
Smith,  Beuoni,  174. 

Solomon,  113. 

William,  113. 
Spalding,  Jacob,  62. 

Joseph,  45. 
Spalding,  Mrs.  Hannah  Wil- 
son, 62. 
Spalding,  Widow,  17. 
Sprague,  Dr.,  74. 

Dea.  Jonathan,  140. 

Jonathan,  151. 

Mrs.,  65. 
Stanley,  Nathaniel,  4. 
Staytums,  223. 

Samson.  223. 
Stedman,  Edmund  C,  127. 

Mary,  127. 
Stevens.  Rev.  Mr.,  40. 
Stiles,  Dr.,  146. 


Stiles,  Vernon,  201. 

Stockwell.  Quintin.  54. 

Storrs,     Lieut.  -  Col.    Experi- 
ence. 98,  101,  102,  103.  107. 

Streeter.  George,  177. 

Stuart,  Edward.  62-63-64. 
Mary,  63-64. 

Sullivan,  Gen.  James,  173, 233. 

Sweet.  Philip,  154. 

Swift,  Judge   Zeph,  209,  212, 
215. 

T.,  Elder,  198. 
Tew,  Paul.  149. 
Thayer,  Major,  155. 
Thomas,  Capt.  Nathaniel,  134, 

135. 
Thompson,  148,  149. 
Thompson,    Dolly.    178,    183. 

184,  198. 
Thompson.  Hannah.  197. 

Jacob.  180,  199. 
Thompson,  Jesse,  152,153,157, 

169. 
Thompson,  John,  151-153, 157, 

169,  174,  176. 
Thompson,    Mary,    176,    177, 

197. 
Thompson,  Primus,  181,  184, 

186,  192. 
Thompson,  Zeph,  151-155,169- 

200,  245. 
Thompson,    Mrs.    Zeph,    180, 

188,  189. 
Thurber,  Benjamin,  146. 
James,  149. 
Mr.  S.,  145. 
Tinglev,  164. 

Tompkins,  David  D.,  192. 
Torrey,  148. 
Tourtellotte,  148. 
Trip,  Mr.,  152. 
Trumbull,  170. 
Faith,  126 
J.  Hammond,  133. 
Gov.  Jonathan,  93. 
Mr..  104. 
Tyler,  Daniel,  Jr.,  98. 


254 


INDEX. 


Uncas,  3,  133. 
Underwood,  Alvin,  156. 
Updike,  Wilkins,  151. 
Utter,  Jabez.  57. 

Mary.  57,  58,  61. 

Van  Buren.  Martin.  201. 
Vandeboro,  Col.,  170. 
Vinton.  Mrs.  Mary,  163. 
Vryland,  Mr.,  60. 

W ,  Miss,  198. 

Wadsworth,   Brig. -Gen.,  109, 

111. 
Wadsworth,  Samuel,  28,  29. 
Waile,  Benjamin,  55. 
Waldo,  Dr.  Albigence,  78-85, 

102,  205. 
Waldo,  Mrs.  Albigence,  81-85, 
Wales,  Nathaniel,  Jr.,  90. 
Walton,  Dr.,  179. 
Ward,  Col.,  111. 

Mrs.  Henry,  219. 
AVarner,  265. 
Warren,  Capt.  Ephraim,  96. 

Joseph,  45. 

Mercy,  77,  90,  126. 
Warren,  Paymaster  James,  91. 
Washington, Gen.  George,  109, 
110,  120.  121,  122,  155,  171, 
176,  182.  233. 
Washington,  Martha,  126, 

Mary,  126. 
Waterman,  Resolved,  146. 


Watson,  164. 
Wesley,  John,  38. 
West,  Gen.,  179. 
Wheaton,  148. 

Hetiry,  156. 
Wheeler,  Experience,  59. 

Mary,  67-69. 
Wheelock.  Pres.  John,  122. 
White,  Lawyer  Aaron,  165. 

Mary,  165-166. 
Whitfield,  George,  12,  14,  19. 
Whiting.  Mary,  65. 

Rev.  Samuel.  65. 
Whitman,  Rev.  Elnathan,  74. 

Elizabeth,  74. 

Martha,  160. 
Wilkinson,  Benj.,  141-144. 

John,  162. 

Smith,  159,  162. 

AVilliam,  156. 
Williams,  Col.  Ebenezer,   98, 

113. 
Williams,  Rev.  Ebenezer,  206. 

Roger,  134. 
Wilmot's,  146 
Winsor.  Abraham,  149. 
Winthrop,  62,  168. 
Winthrop,  Gov.  Fitz  John,  6, 

7,  32. 
Winthrop,  Margaret,  52. 
Wright,  61. 

Yorke,    Mrs.    Esther    Minor, 
125. 


History  of  the  State    of    Rhode  island 

and  Providence  Plantations, 

1636-1790. 

By  SAMUEL    GREENE   ARNOLD. 
New  Edition.    2  vols.     Octavo.    574  and  600  pp.     $7.50,  net. 


Governor  Arnold's  History  of  Rhode  Island,  based  upon  a 
careful  study  of  documents  in  the  British  State  Paper  Office 
ajid  in  the  Rb.ode  Island  State  Archives,  supplemented  by  in- 
vestigations at  Paris  and  The  Hague,  has  from  its  publication 
been  the  authoritative  history  of  the  State. 

Genealogical  students  will  find  in  these  volumes  the  names  of 
over  fifteen  hundred  persons  prominent  in  Rhode  Island  affairs. 
This  work  is  of  much  more  than  local  interest,  as  the  experi- 
ment of  religious  liberty  here  tried  gives  to  this  history  an  im- 
portance far  beyond  the  narrow  limits  of  the  State. 


"  One  of  the  best  ?tate  histories  ever  written  is  S.  G.  Arnold's  His- 
tory of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations."  —  John 

FlSKE. 

"The  best  history  of  Rhode  Island  is  that  of  Arnold."  —  Prof. 
George  P.  Fisher,  Yale  University. 

"Mr.  Samuel  Greene  Arnold  in  his  history  of  Rhode  Island  has 
brought  together  all  the  extant  materials.  He  brings  out  more  clearly 
than  any  previous  writer  the  distinct  threads  of  the  previous  settle- 
ments." —  Prof.  John  A.  Doyle,  Oxford. 

"A  work  prepared  after  long  and  careful  research.  Probably  no 
student  has  ever  made  himself  more  familiar  with  the  history  of  Rhode 
Island  than  did  Arnold.  This  work  abounds,  therefore,  in  valuable  in- 
formation."—  Pres.  Charles  Kendall  Adams,  Cornell  University. 


SENT  POSTPAID   BY   THE   PUBLISHERS. 


Tax  Lists  of  the  Town  of  Providence 

During  the  Administration  of  Sir  Edmund  Andres 
and  his  Council, 

1 686- J  689. 

Compiled  by  EDWARD  FIELD,  A.B., 

Member  of  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society,  and  one  of  the 
Record  Comtnissioners  of  the  City  of  Providence. 

Cloth.     Octavo.     60  pp.     $1.00,  net. 


The  "  Tax  Lists  of  the  Town  of  Providence"  is  a  compilation 
of  original  documents  relating  to  taxation  during  the  Adminis- 
tration of  Sir  Edmund  Andros  and  his  Council,  1686-1689.  It 
comprises  copies  of  warrants  issued  by  order  of  the  Council  for 
the  assessment  and  collection  of  taxes,  the  tax  lists  or  rate  bills 
prepared  pursuant  to  these  \va.rrants,  the  returns  made  by  the 
townsmen  of  their  ratable  property,  and  the  Tax  Laws  enacted 
by  Andros  and  his  Council.  All  of  these,  with  the  exception 
of  the  laws,  are  here  printed  for  the  first  time. 

Among  the  rate  bills  is  the  list  of  polls  for  1688,  which  con- 
tains the  names  of  all  males  sixteen  years  of  age  and  upwards 
living  in  Providence  in  August  of  that  year  ;  practically  a  census 
of  the  town.  For  the  genealogist  and  historian  this  volume  con- 
tains material  of  the  greatest  value  on  account  of  the  great  num- 
htT  of  names  which  these  lists  contain,  besides  showing  the 
amount  of  the  tax  assessment  in  each  case. 

The  returns  of  ratable  property  form  a  study  by  themselves, 
for  they  tell  in  the  quaint  language  of  the  colonists  what  they 
possess,  and  therefore  shed  much  light  on  the  condition  of  the 
times.  For  a  study  of  this  episode  in  New  England  Colonial 
History  this  work  is  invaluable. 

The  index  of  all  names  contained  in  the  lists  and  text  is  a 
feature  of  this  work. 

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Revolutionary  Defences  in  Rhode  Island. 

An  Historical  Account  of  the  Fortifications  and 
Beacons  erected  during  the  American  Revolu- 
tion, WITH  Muster  Rolls  of  the  Companies  sta- 
tioned along  the  Shores  of  Narragansett  Bat, 
with  Maps,  Plans  and  Illustrations. 


By    EDWARD     FIELD. 

Past  President  of  the  Rhode  Island  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the 

American  Revohition. 


Cloth  octavo,  avith  29  Illustrations  and  Two  Maps. 
Price  S2.25  net. 


This  volume  contains  an  account  of  the  various  works  of 
defence  erected  in  the  State  of  Rhode  Island  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary War.  showing  where  and  under  what  circumstances 
they  were  built,  and  the  names  of  the  officers  and  enlisted  men 
located  at  many  of  them  at  various  periods  of  the  war. 

For  nearly  three  years  the  British  Army  was  located  within 
the  State  and  one  of  the  notable  battles  was  fought  within  its 
territory.  The  war  map  of  this  battle  of  Rhode  Island,  now 
preserved  in  the  State  archives,  has  been  especially  reproduced 
for  this  work,  and  is  shown  in  its  entirety  for  the  first  time. 

The  work  is  profusely  illustrated  with  plans  and  views  of 
these  old  earthworks,  together  with  illustrations  of  the  styles 
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showing  the  location  of  each  fort,  beacon,  and  coast  guard  sta- 
tion described  in  the  text. 

Muster  rolls  and  company  lists  containing  the  names  of  more 
than  seven  hundred  officers  and  enlisted  men.  many  of  which 
have  been  hitherto  inaccessible,  are  here  presented.  The  records 
of  Rhode  Island  Soldiers  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution  are  scat- 
tered and  incomplete,  and  the  names  contained  in  this  book  will 
be  of  great  assistance  to  those  who  desire  to  ascertain  the  service 
of  Rhode  Island  Soldiers,  or  to  establish  their  right  to  member, 
ship  in  the  hereditary  patriotic  societies,  for  the  names  have 
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where  the  original  muster  or  pay  roll  may  be  found. 

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A  Summer  Visit  of  Three  Rhode  Islanders 
to  the  Massachusetts  Bay  in  J65K 


By   henry  MELVILLE  KING, 
Pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  Providence,  K.  I. 


Cloth,  12mo.,  115  pages.     Price  $1.00  net. 

Uniform  with  "Mary  Dyer. 


An  account  of  the  visit  of  Dr.  John  Clarke, 
Obadiah  Holmes  and  John  Crandall,  members 
OF  the  Baptist  Church  in  Newport,  K.  I.,  to 
William  Witter  of  Savampscott,  Mass.,  in  July, 
1651  :  its  innocent  purpose  and  its  painful  con- 
sequences. 


"  Dr.  King's  pungent  and  conclusive  essay  is  a 
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and  Dexter,  who  charged  the  Ehode  Islanders  in 
question  with  sinister  political  motives  and  excused 
their  alleged  maltreatment  on  that  ground.  Cita- 
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put  the  reader  in  position  to  verify  the  allegations  of 
the  author." — The  Watchman. 


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ESEK  HOPKINS: 

Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Continental  Navy  1 775  to  J  778; 

Master  Mariner ;  Politician ;  Brigadier-General ; 

Naval  Officer;  and  Philanthropist. 

By  EDWARD  FIELD,   A.  B. 

Author  of  "Revolutionary  Defences  in  Rhode  Island,"  "The 
Colonial  Tavern,"   "Tax  Lists  of  the  Town  of  Providence." 


Edition  limited  to  Three  Hundred  Numbered  Copies. 

Octavo,  cloth.  Illustrated  with  Fifteen  Plates 

AND  A  Map.         Price,  S-^-OO  met. 


The  story  of  the  life  of  Capt.  Esek  Hopkins,  the 
first  commander  of  the  American  navy,  has  never 
before  been  told.  Mr.  Field  has  used  Hopkins'  own 
papers  and  records  kept  during  his  connection  with 
the  navy,  extracts  from  ships'  logs,  and  records  in 
the  Dei)artment  of  State  at  Washington.  The  work 
treats  of  the  origin  of  the  American  navy  and  its  first 
expeditions,  discloses  the  reasons  which  operated 
against  the  success  of  Hopkins  as  a  naval  com- 
mander, and  exposes  the  plot  which  resulted  in  his 
removal  from  the  command  of  the  navy. 

The  present  work  is  the  result  of  a  patient  and 
disinterested  study  of  the  character  of  the  man  who 
for  more  than  a  hundred  years  has  been  the  subject 
of  the  most  scathing  criticism,  and  the  facts  as  set 
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self what  manner  of  man  he  was.  The  work  is  a 
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fore printed,  which  will  connect  with  Revolutionary 
service  many  persons  not  heretofore  associated  with 
that  crisis  in  American  history. 


SAMUELL  GORTON: 

FIRST  SETTLER  OF  WARWICK,  R,  I. 
A  FORGOTTEN  FOUNDER  OF  OUR  LIBERTIES 


By  lewis   G.  janes,  M.  A. 

PRESIDENT   OF   THE   BROOKLYN    ETHICAL  ASSOCIATION 


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with  "  Mary  Dyer"  and  "  Summer  Visit." 


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tory, and  of  some  of  its  most  exciting  episodes. 

It  is  the  first  oj-stematic  attempt  to  give  candid 
and  judicial  interpretation  of  Gorton's  peculiar  re- 
ligious views,  and  is  of  equal  interest  to  the  theolo- 
gian and  historical  student. 


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lishers. 


MARY    DYER 

OF  RHODE  ISLAND, 

The  Quaker  Martyr  that  was  Hanged  on  Boston 
Common,  June  1,  1660. 


By    HORATIO     ROGERS. 
Associate  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Rhode  Island. 


The  author  has  grathered  from  many  sources  the 
scattered  facts  relating  to  the  career  of  Mary  Dyer 
and  woven  them  into  a  detailecl  narrative,  so  that 
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hensive sketch  of  the  manner  and  sentiments  of 
her  times  he  has  furnished  a  background  or  frame- 
work for  his  subject  which  adds  much  to  the  in 
terest  of  the  volume  by  enabling  the  reader  the 
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lating to  her  trial  are  printed  in  the  appendix. 

Cloth,   12mo.,  115  pages.     Price  $1.00  net. 

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NEW  ENGLAND  WILD  FLOWERS 
AND  THEIR  SEASONS. 


By   W.  whitman   BAILEY, 

PROFESSOR   OF   BOTANY    IN    BROWN   UNIVERSITY. 


Cloth,  16mo.     Uniform  with  "  R.  I.  Wild  Flowers." 
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From  long  wanderings  afield  the  author  has 
caught  the  charm  of  the  varying  moods  of  our 
New  England  year  and  pictures  them  for  the  reader 
with  sympathetic  touch. 

The  characteristics  of  the  conspicuous  and  dom- 
inant flowers  of  the  months  are  sketched  in  broad 
lines,  rendering  identification  easy. 

The  flowers  of  the  White  and  Green  Mountains 
—  our  alpine  flora  —  receive  separate  treatment,  as 
do  also  the  flowers  of  the  sea -shore  —  our  coast 
flora. 

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NEARLY  READY... 


EARLY 
CONNECTICUT   HOUSES, 


By  NORMAN  M.  ISHAM  and  ALBERT  F.  BROWN. 


Illustrated  avith  a  Map  and  over  One  Hundred  Drawings. 
Large  8vo.     Uniform  with  *' Early  Rhode  Island  Houses," 

BY   THE   same   AUTHORS.        PrICE,    $2.50  NET. 


This  book  treats  tlie  early  houses  of  Connecticut 
in  the  same  way  in  which  its  predecessor  treated  the 
dwellings  of  Rhode  Island. 

The  same  accuracy  of  measurement  and  drawing 
and  the  same  careful  description  of  the  early  work 
characterize  the  new  volume. 

The  work  describes  a  large  number  of  houses  in 
Hartford  and  its  neighborhood,  in  New  London,  and 
in  New  Haven  and  the  towns  confederated  with  it. 

Much  new  information  will  be  found  in  the  chap- 
ter on  Construction,  and  the  relation  with  English 
work  is  considered  in  the  light  of  further  study  of 
examples  in  the  old  country. 

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THE  HOMERIC  PALACE, 

By  NORMAN   M.  ISHAM. 


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Cloth.     SI -00  net. 


The  Homeric  Palace  is  an  attempt,  in  an  inex- 
pensive and  convenient  form,  to  set  the  main  lines 
of  the  royal  dwelling  of  Homeric  times  before  the 
reader  of  to-day. 

The  text  collects  the  main  facts  about  the  different 
parts  of  the  palace.  The  drawings  show  the  plans 
of  the  great  strongholds,  Troy,  Tiryns,  Arne,  My- 
cenae, and  gather  into  one  plate  the  various  types 
of  rampart  walls,  into  another  the  gates  and  ap- 
proaches. Bird's-eye  views  show,  in  one  plate,  four 
stages  or  steps  in  the  building  of  a  palace,  in  another 
a  restoration,  which  is  half  plan,  half  section  and 
elevation  combined,  of  the  palace  at  Tiryns,  a  view 
which,  so  far  as  we  know,  has  never  before  been 
published,  much  as  that  building  has  been  drawn 
and  restored. 

All  lovers  of  classical  myth  or  history  will  find  the 
work  interesting.  To  the  student  it  will  be  a  con- 
venient text  or  reference  book,  and  to  the  teacher  of 
Homer  it  will  be  invaluable. 


^ 


University  of 
Connecticut 

Libraries 


/ 


!ii!i!!J]| 


Wmm 


